The Mariners and veteran left-hander Drew Pomeranz are in agreement on a minor league deal, as previously reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The deal presumably includes an invite to major league Spring Training.
Pomeranz, 36, is a veteran of 11 MLB seasons but hasn’t throw a pitch in the majors since 2021. The lefty was generally a solid player who swung between the back of the rotation and bullpen in the early part of his career, often garnering solid results in relief but lackluster numbers in the rotation. Across the first eight seasons of his MLB career, Pomeranz pitched to a 3.92 ERA (110 ERA+) with a 4.14 FIP in 710 innings of work split between 122 starts and 74 relief appearances. The start of the 2019 season was more of the same for Pomeranz, as he struggled in a swing role with the Giants. He posted a 5.68 ERA ERA with a 5.24 FIP in 77 2/3 innings of work.
Those lackluster numbers led San Francisco to deal the lefty to Milwaukee at that year’s trade deadline, and Milwaukee decided to move Pomeranz to the bullpen full-time, converting him into a high leverage relief arm. The lefty looked like a totally different player down the stretch in 2019, dominating to the tune of a 2.39 ERA with a 2.68 FIP with an eye-popping 45% strikeout rate. That stellar performance earned Pomeranz plenty of interest in free agency that winter, and prior to the 2020 season he signed with the Padres on a four-year deal worth $34MM that ran through the 2020-23 seasons. Pomeranz continued to dominate when healthy enough to take the mound for San Diego, with an incredible 1.62 ERA and 2.75 FIP to go with a 33.7% strikeout rate during the life of that contract.
Unfortunately for Pomeranz, however, he managed just 44 1/3 innings of work over the life of the contract due to shoulder, forearm, and elbow injuries. After not pitching in the majors during the 2022 or ’23 seasons, Pomeranz returned to the free agent market and caught on with the Angels and Dodgers on minor league deals but was unable to crack either L.A. roster. Eventually he earned a big league opportunity with the Giants in May, but lasted just a few days on the club’s roster before being designated for assignment without making an appearance. In total, he made just eight appearances at Triple-A for the Dodgers this past season, struggling to a 6.00 ERA but flashing an excellent 37.8% strikeout rate.
That big strikeout stuff clearly caught the attention of the Mariners, who have now picked him up as a no-risk flier who could still contribute to the club’s late-inning mix if he can finally get healthy enough to make it back to the majors. The Mariners have an impressive bullpen mix that includes Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Collin Snider, and Gregory Santos but lacks a true back-end option from the left-hand side.
Jfc finally
Next reclamation project for our bullpen?
Nothing move for the idiots..
What does this even mean?
I think he wanted the mariners to sign Andy Dirks to a minor league deal.
I know it’s frustrating watching other teams make bigger moves while Seattle struggles to fill their glaring holes, but they need pitching depth. It’s not exciting, but it’s vital.
Enough with the pitching! Dipoto is soooo hung up on it! They need bats before all that is left is la stella Wong and pollack…We need to get Coby Mayo or Acuna then go from there…Santana to pair with Raley and get the Korean for second if you don’t get Acuna
It’s not an either or.
Sure it is the Mets and the Orioles are interested in Castillo
Go back to MLB The Show and build the team you want there.
Someone has to the clowns in charge of the Mariners can’t build a championship team..I could do it better
No, you absolutely couldn’t.
Like Dipoto has been setting the world on fire. I think most fans would’ve done FAR better than his Wong, Pollack, La Stella offseason (many said it was bad as it was happening, were they wrong or Dipoto?). Or last offseason when he acquired two high-priced Mitch’s that he’s currently dying to get rid of. His offseason’s have been just short of disastrous during their playoff window and he’s on the hottest hot seat around. Stop pretending everyone is dumb and doesn’t know baseball except for the great Jerry Dipoto. He hasn’t earned it.
You are 100% correct…ill admit he’s done some good things but he’s done an awful lot of bad things, so people need to quit being an apologist for him and hold his feet to the fire. Because this is our window the next 3 or 4 years. And after that who knows what we’re going to have pitching wise..
The window is 1-2 years. They aren’t likely going to ride out the contracts of Gilbert, Raleigh and Kirby without extensions.
Their trade value will be high and Seattle may be too cheap to pay the final arb year or two. Settling for a draft pick from a QO doesn’t seem likely, either.
Well, that sounds like a horrible move stevil from one of the most profitable teams in baseball and we’re just supposed to say wait for the wave of prospects? Not mad at you but that’s just gross
You have never heard me say ‘wait for prospects’. Quite the opposite. I think they should be willing to move prospects.
I was talking about what management always tells us…
They’ve never even suggested that since coming out of the rebuild.
This is a misconception by fans who assume that’s what’s happening. I know you weren’t suggesting I had said that, I was just making my position clear.
But that’s not what’s happening. It’s a ridiculous budget limitation that’s the problem.
Well, with this franchise, who knows what’s real or what’s not. Jerry can’t even have his own radio show anymore because he’s afraid he might get criticized for the moves he makes.. It shows how fragile his psyche is… He needs to stand up to ownership and tell them this is what I think needs to be done to win a championship and you know damn well if they win, they will make money.
He most certainly has told ownership what he needs (more resources). He isn’t going to boast in public how he told off his boss.
For all we know, payroll might have been lower without him pushing for more.
It’s fair to question what we see, but there’s always more than what we see on the surface.
If you notice any story on these trade rumors about the mariners almost always seems to get the most comments…
That seems to show the mariner fan base is the most frustrated and engaged
Sounds like you really think GM is a simple job. There’s a bit more to it than putting baseball cards on a table and sliding them around until you have the team of your wishes. Not realistic.
Of course not, but suggesting that no one can do it better just because Dipoto currently has the job, is a ridiculous argument. Especially when he’s batting around the mendoza line on acquisitions and trades. He isn’t exactly the standard for success.
No World Series appearances, promises unfulfilled…
The fans have every right to be frustrated. But Seattle’s issues aren’t on any single person’s shoulders.
It’s 16 December. We’re accustomed to seeing more by now. But there’s still two months before spring training starts.
Hang tight.
Luisangel Acuna tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League….Come on Jerry lol
Maybe its not that hard or easy we have no idea but alot of the moves he has made especially for bats leaves alot to be desired…
His seat isn’t even remotely hot. He has done a good job considering what he has to work with. And the Mariners hitting issues are because if their stadium more so then the players. Look what Hernandez and Suarez did after leaving.
Actually his trades have turned out pretty well overall. More importantly his draft picks and international player signings seem to be even better
Another delusional mariner fan how sad ..
No, no they have not. He develops pitching well, some of that is the ballpark (as GMZ used to do the same thing with bullpen arms), and some of it is Dipoto doing a good job. That’s about as far as it goes though. Munoz was a great acquisition via trade. Name another that’s still around. On the flipside, I can name a whole heap that didn’t work out.
The only reason those guys did better somewhere else is because they had better protection in the lineup….Simple baseball analytics
Despite a lot of misses, he hit on the last four bats he brought in, if I’m not mistaken, which were Raley, Robles, Turner, and Arozarena.
Worth noting, he also commented on adjustments in their searches that identify hitting profiles that fit T-Mobile better.
We’ll see if that continues, but it’s not delusional to think Dipoto (and Hollander) might finally be on the right track. They also have 4 players in Pipelines’ Top-50 (all bats) Baseball America appears to be even higher on Seattle’s prospects.
That is significant because these prospects can be used as currency as well as penciled-in future options.
Arozarena hit .231 with 5 HRs for the M’s. OPS of .733. That’s okay. I wouldn’t say that’s “hitting on a bat”. I’m on record as saying Robles had 200 good ABs for the M’s and I fully expect him to return to his career norms. I hope I’m wrong, but we’ll see.
Raley was one good bat out of 5 acquired last offseason (Haniger, Garver, Polanco, Zavala). A terrible percentage.
Dipoto is not the worst GM, but he’s nowhere near the top of the list either. It’s hard to hear people continue to defend his bad moves.
Chester, Arozarena is still around, Raley is still around, Castillo is still around, Brash is still around, Thornton is still around. Then there are the waiver claims, like Snider, and freebies, like Robles.
It hasn’t been all doom & gloom. No team hits on every transaction.. It’s fair to question the front office’s ability to construct a real contender, but it’s also fair to wonder if anyone else could do any better with the self-imposed restrictions.
Worth noting, the budget was allegedly cut further on short notice last offseason. I can empathize a little. I just hate the whitewashing we’ve heard to protect ownership.
I swear to God This is the last off season im going to put up with this from the mariner management and ownership…Nearly 50 years of mediocrity I’ve finally reached my breaking point this has gone on long enough and I know nobody cares about my rant on here, but I’m sick of cobbling together a bunch of crap to try to win a championship which will never, ever happen. PS Stevil you sound like you work in the Mariner PR department…lol
Take a look at what Arozarena did at T-Mobile. I’d also add that he worked pitchers hard and that has value.
Robles made adjustments, most notably, shortening his swing. I don’t think anyone expects him to produce like he did last season, but it wasn’t 200 ABs, it was 262 PAs and you can’t dismiss players like these because of what you personally expect.
That said, I don’t blame you for having reservations. I try to be fair and rational when I look at everything. I’m not happy, but there’s still time and some reason to hold out a little hope.
I’m not biased. You’ll hear critique and praise as they’re earned/deserved.
I love the Mariners. I’ve been loving them for 40 years. They’ve just been doing the same things (being cheap, and selling a narrative of hope) for so long, it no longer works on me. I’m not saying they need to spend X amount of dollars, but they do need to be serious about winning. They are not currently serious about it. They have some good players, but the overall strategy is to “hope” it all comes together. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, they’ll just do and say the exact same thing next offseason. At some point, you just stop believing them.
I mean, this ownership group makes Howard Lincoln look like George Steinbrenner!!
They’re like a MLB version of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. So far it’s been nothing but false claims..
But I can still see a path to real contention. I just think they have 1-2 years maximum before they’re forced to choose a direction and create a new plan, regardless of who’s in charge.
I watched La Stella and Haniger with the Giants. Glad they’re gone. Zaidiot signed La Stella to a 3 year deal I believe. I was dumbfounded when he was signed. Not sure what the Mariners saw in him after his Giants tenure. Haniger looked lost with the Giants especially after the HBP put him on the shelf. Always liked him during his career so I was hoping he’d have a really good year with the M’s.
Says the idiot in chief
Pomerantz ? Tanaka? What year is this.
Merry Christmas Tommy B. and have a safe and happy 2015
Cubs are still looking to see if they trade for Tyson from the Padres. Still early days Gwynning!
Tyson Ross is available, call us back, acoss!
Where have you gone, Ross Detwiler?
Mike Carp is looking to make a comeback.
I understand that Bucky Jacobsen … Never mind.
We need a Felix Hernandez sighting.
We’re cooking now M’s fans!!!
I knew somebody would kick the tires… and why not! Could be some gas in the tank.
Unless he has some janitorial skills, he is useless in a major league clubhouse, or a minor league clubhouse for that matter.
AJ Preller deserved to be fired just for that contract…
Maybe he makes a killer grilled cheese?
Ace hot dog vendor
Did he injure himself signing the contract?
Set the parade route, babyyyyyyy!
Are there any Seattle fans out there? Does this really make you happy?
I’m a Seattle fan it doesn’t make me anything. Depth piece. Every team has them.
I think we’re all mostly meh about it. It’s not a needle mover but a required part of a team.
The route through Dealey Plaza? What? Too soon?
Pomeranz is a lefty… I don’t think they’ll let him play 2nd or 3rd.
I like this move fine.
They just signed Neftali Feliz too. Those are minor league depth signings. There’s a little chance he could pitch his way on to the team I guess.
Neftali Feliz Navidad to you, too!
Exactly. Worst case scenario, they pay basically nothing to have a guy with playoff experience and 15 years in the league to be around your triple a guys. They could also be considering him in a coaching role if he’s done with pitching like they did with Negron.
Have to wonder if he would have had a better career if he’d come up with Cleveland, which seems to be able to develop pitchers. Rather than being traded to the Rockies where he could never find success.
M’s haven’t had a good lefty in the pen since like Rhodes it feels like. Saucedo sucks.
Gabe Speier had a nice season in ’22 or ’23.
tiny pedantic correction that doesn’t matter: giants put pomeranz in the bullpen for 4 appearances is 2019 before the deadline and he was dealing, which is the only reason they managed an actual return for him
Baseball would be meaningless without tiny pedantic corrections!
Jayson Stark has some competition!
Potentially solves two issues: a LH reliever (meh) and a Crash Davis starter at Tacoma – half pitcher, half coach.
Who cares, it’s a flier to see if we can fix him… if it works out fine flip him for a Minor leaguer or throw him to the wayside…
Jeez, almost forgot about Drew…
Pomeranz is being held together by scotch tape. Seriously, I don’t blame him for milking teams to get paid rehabbing. It’s his full time job. But the writing is unfortunately on the wall M’s. He’s Josh Johnson and Mark Prior from the left side.
So tired of being a Mariners fan. Why me?
Try switching to the Tacoma Rainiers. The beers are cheaper at least.
Been following Pomeranz for years. When healthy he’s an effective bullpen piece. Minor league pickup, could end up being good with very little risk. Good pickup imho
Well, I’m gonna hold off on anymore comments until the mariners make a serious move and then I will either say I like it or I don’t and give reason’s why and we can start this banter all over again lol BTW Mayo first choice Acuna second..