SEATTLE -- It was inevitable, given the mutual decision to part ways between Félix Hernández and the Mariners when his lucrative contract came to an end in September. But still, word of Hernández signing with the Braves on Monday brought an odd sense of finality to King Felix’s lengthy run in the Pacific Northwest.

The 33-year-old right-hander agreed Monday to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training next month, and Hernández will make $1 million if he makes Atlanta's 40-man roster, a source told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.

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Hernández earned $27 million with the Mariners in 2019 at the end of a seven-year, $175 million extension he signed in ‘13.

Hernández said he wasn’t done pitching after making his final start in Seattle on Sept. 26 in an emotional farewell at T-Mobile Park, but his future path wasn’t clear until now. He’ll get a chance to compete for a rotation spot with the Braves, but that’s no slam dunk given Atlanta’s pitching depth.

The Braves did lose Dallas Keuchel in free agency, but they signed veteran Cole Hamels to a one-year, $18 million deal in December. They return 2019 All-Star Mike Soroka and fellow rotation locks in right-hander Mike Foltynewicz and lefty Max Fried, along with starting candidates Kyle Wright, Sean Newcomb and Bryse Wilson.

Hernández clearly has the history and pedigree to help the Braves if he bounces back to his old form, and he’ll get the chance to show whether that is possible this spring.

He went 169-136 with a 3.42 ERA and 2,524 strikeouts in 2,729 2/3 innings during his time in Seattle, winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2010 and throwing the last perfect game in the Majors in ‘12.

But Hernández has gone 15-27 with a 5.42 ERA in 60 games (59 starts) over the past three years while dealing with an assortment of arm issues. Last season, he went 1-8 with a 6.40 ERA in 15 starts, and he’s 1-16 with a 6.38 ERA over 26 outings (25 starts) since July 1, 2018.

The six-time AL All-Star battled gamely in a 3-1 loss to the A’s in his final start in Seattle on Sept. 26, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings, then he insisted he wasn’t done.

“We’ll see if I find a job,” he said after that outing. “But I’m not retiring.”

If he does land a job with the Braves, he’ll certainly circle May 29-31 on next year’s schedule. That’s when Atlanta visits Seattle for an Interleague series at T-Mobile Park.

Hernández pitched against the Braves just twice in his time with the Mariners, going 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA over 15 2/3 innings, with both games in Seattle. The veteran from Venezuela has found plenty of success against National League foes, going 23-14 with a 3.18 ERA in 48 Interleague starts.

He also enjoys swinging the bat and is the last AL pitcher to hit a grand slam, having gone deep off the Mets’ Johan Santana with the bases loaded in 2008. But Hernández batted just .080 (4-for-50) with one homer and seven RBIs in his career.