Mariners Set To Sign “Controversial” Reliever

Our Venezuelan baseball correspondent, Pauls Toutonghi, has breaking news that will be made official by the Mariners on Sunday.

ESPN.COM reported that Ugueth Urbina was sentenced to fifteen years in a Venezualan prison. Description of his crime is as follows:

"The 33-year-old free agent joined a group of men in attacking workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them at his family's ranch, located about 25 miles south of Caracas..."

Upon hearing the news, Mariners' GM Bill Bavasi was on the phone with Urbina's agent.

"Bill would like to sign him to a 10-year contract," sources within the front office said. "Especially since, with parole and good behavior, he could be out as early as 2012