Heath Bell signs minor league deal with Nationals

Well, it wouldn't be spring training without at least one reclamation project, right?

Former Padres All-Star closer Heath Bell announced in a self-penned post on The Players' Tribune this afternoon that he had signed a minor league deal with the Nationals. The contract includes an invitation to major league spring training, so Bell will be suiting up in Viera, Fla., when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 19.

Bell, 37, is the classic low-risk, high-reward guy at this stage of his career, which has stretched 11 big league seasons. Last season, he appeared in 11 games with the Rays, going 1-1 with a 7.87 ERA and 1.86 WHIP, and earning his release in May. The right-hander signed minor league deals with the Orioles and Yankees, but the latter cut him in late June after he couldn't get Triple-A hitters out.

As recently as 2013, Bell went 5-2 with a 4.11 ERA and 19 saves in 27 chances with the Marlins. That's still a far cry from his glory days - from 2009-11, he saved 132 games in 146 opportunities for the Padres, leading the National League with 42 saves in 2009, making the All-Star team in all three seasons and working to a 2.35 ERA during that stretch.

Bell faces long odds to make the 25-man roster, with righties like Aaron Barrett, Craig Stammen, Blake Treinen, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen ahead of him on the depth chart. But the Nationals have shown a track record of giving guys a chance to showcase themselves in spring training. Starting pitcher Chris Young parlayed that opportunity into a major league deal with the Mariners in March, and then won American League Comeback Player of the Year honors after going 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts.

For his career, Bell is 38-32 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.269 WHIP and 168 saves in 209 chances for the Mets, Padres, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Rays.