TODAY: Brian O’Keefe has cleared waivers, the Mariners announced. The 30-year-old backstop has been sent outright to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. While he does not have the necessary service time to reject an outright assignment, O’Keefe will have the chance to elect minor league free agency this offseason.
OCTOBER 13: The Mariners announced that they have designated catcher Brian O’Keefe for assignment. His roster spot will go to right-hander Kaleb Ort, who was previously-reported to have been claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.
O’Keefe, 30, signed a minor league deal with the club in the offseason and was selected to the roster in August when Tom Murphy landed on the injured list with a thumb sprain. He got into just eight games before heading to the paternity list and was optioned to the minors when he returned. In 91 Triple-A games this year, he hit .238/.328/.504, which translated to a wRC+ of 93 in the potent offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.
The M’s will now put him on waivers in the coming days. He still has options and just a limited amount of service time, which could appeal to any club looking for catching depth. If he were to clear, he wouldn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment right away but would qualify for minor league free agency five days after the World Series.
I don’t know what the finished article will say, but I can’t judge O’Keefe too harshly.
Necessity got him pressed into service before he was ready. I’ll keep an open mind about him.
He’s 30. HOw is that too early?
Yeah, I was wrong.
Let him walk….. Sat in the front row at a Rainier’s game, right next to the dugout entrance. We were trying to help a kid get his ball signed. The guy’s a jerk…
Not good productivity for a 30 year old player no matter what.
He hit lots of dingers in the minors, especially for a catcher. Problem is, they came in the PCL
So, the Mariners just outrighted Brian O’Keefe. Not a huge surprise, really. They had to make room for Kaleb Ort, who they claimed off waivers from the Red Sox. O’Keefe had been designated for assignment, and he’s been shuttling between the majors and minors this season.
The interesting part is that O’Keefe has cleared waivers, so no other team jumped to pick him up. That’s not a great sign for his current market value. He’s now headed to Triple-A Tacoma, and here’s the kicker: he might become a minor league free agent in the offseason.
All in all, this move seems like a standard roster shuffle. O’Keefe might not be the Mariners’ long-term solution, and they want to keep their options open. Baseball, it’s a game of constant moves and changes! ⚾
He clearly is not a long term answer. Raleigh is the man right now, and for a while. A real keeper. They still have Murphy as an backup, and they should keep him. Harry Ford is waiting in the wings !!
Tom Murphy is a pending free agent whom the Mariners should consider re-signing.
Mariners outright B. O. !!