By Brady Henderson

The one-year, $500,000 deal the Mariners gave reliever Hong-Chih Kuo typifies the low-risk approach the team has taken in free agency this offseason.

One baseball writer thinks this addition comes with the potential for a pretty high reward, too.

"It could be real big," Paul White of USA Today told "The Hot Stove League Show" on Monday. "This guy, at his best, is just electric, almost unhittable left-handed stuff."

As White noted, that's all assuming Kuo can return to health following an injury-plagued 2011. Kuo had an ERA of 9.00 in 26 innings, landing on the 15-day disabled list early in the season with a lower back strain and again with an anxiety disorder.

Kuo, 30, has had a hard time staying healthy since making his major league debut in 2005.

Kuo has had five elbow surgeries, the most recent coming in October. He's been placed on the disabled list six times in seven MLB seasons. The anxiety disorder that landed him on the DL last season was believed to be his second bout with "the yips," a term that describes a pitcher's inexplicable loss of command or a position player's inability to make routine throws. His first bout resulted in one of his warmup pitches sailing out of the Dodgers bullpen during a 2009 game.

The 2010 season was a testament to what Kuo can do when healthy. He was an All-Star while going 3-2 and converting 12 of 13 save opportunities. His 1.20 ERA that season established a franchise record and was the 11th-lowest in MLB history by a reliever with at least 60 innings pitched.

"It's been an incredibly frustrating career for this guy because you see the flashes," White said.

According to the Associated Press, Kuo's major leage deal contains performance bonuses.

"It's a great gamble. It's not an expensive one," White said, "and it could be a huge help."

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