2012 Spring Training did not get off to a great start for new Seattle Mariners acquisition Hong-Chih Kuo, but things only got worse for the reliever as Cactus League play progressed in March.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times reports that Kuo was released by Seattle on Monday, which is certainly not the ending that either he or the Mariners had hoped for. The anticipation was that Kuo would be able to bounce back following a rough 2011 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he was roughed up time and again in his Spring Training outings and the M's were finally forced to cut him loose.

This may not be the end of the road for Kuo, but his prospects at this point will be slim. A team may take a gamble on a minor league contract with the lefty, but his March has done nothing but hurt his stock. He made only six appearances with the Mariners in Arizona, pitching only 6.2 innings, but allowed 13 earned runs on 14 hits and four walks.

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