Veteran lefty Bedard signs Minors deal with spring invite

The Dodgers announced Wednesday the signings of veteran starter Erik Bedard and Minor League reliever Ben Rowen to Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training.

Bedard has posted a 3.99 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and a 2.34 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 241 games (230 starts) in his 11-year career, spent mostly with the Orioles and Mariners.

The 35-year-old left-hander finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting with the Orioles in 2007, winning 13 games, posting a 3.16 ERA and striking out a franchise-record 10.93 batters per nine innings. But shoulder issues limited Bedard to 30 starts from 2008-09, forced him to sit out most of 2010 and led to five different teams over the next four years.

With the Rays last season, Bedard posted a 4.76 ERA, a 1.49 WHIP and a 2.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 games (15 starts) before getting released in early August.

Rowen, 26, made eight appearances for the Rangers in 2014 and spent most of the year in Triple-A, posting a 3.95 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34 relief appearances. A right-handed submariner, Rowen was originally drafted in the 22nd round in 2010 and has a 1.72 ERA in his Minor League career.