Headlines

  • Orioles Re-Sign Zach Eflin
  • Cubs Sign Hunter Harvey
  • Marlins Sign Pete Fairbanks
  • Athletics, Tyler Soderstrom Agree To Seven-Year Extension
  • Pirates To Sign Ryan O’Hearn
  • White Sox Sign Sean Newcomb
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mariners Rumors

Brian Anderson, Michael Chavis Opt Out Of Minors Deals With Mariners

By Nick Deeds | June 1, 2024 at 7:20pm CDT

Infielders Brian Anderson and Michael Chavis have both opted out of their minor league deals with the Mariners, according to Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto on X. Both players now figure to return to the open market as free agents.

Anderson, 31, is the more established big leaguer of the two. The Marlins’s third-round pick in the 2014 draft, Anderson made his big league debut with the club back in 2017 and hit a decent .262/.337/.369 in 25 games for the club that year. That cup of coffee was enough to earn Anderson a more regular role in Miami, and he quickly established himself as one of the more reliable bats in a Marlins lineup lacking in thump. From 2018 to 2020, Anderson slashed .266/.350/.436 with 42 home runs and 74 doubles in 341 games while splitting time between third base and right field with the Marlins. That performance was worth a wRC+ of 115, which was good for 11th among all qualified third baseman during that three year period while his 7.2 fWAR ranked 12th.

Unfortunately, Anderson would find his career derailed by injuries in 2021 as he missed nearly four month with oblique and shoulder issues. While he managed to appear in 67 games in between stints on the injured list, Anderson posted pedestrian numbers when he was healthy enough to take the field, hitting .249/.337/.378 with just 7 home runs and 9 doubles in 264 trips to the plate. His injuries woes continued in 2022, as he missed two months of time across three trips to the injured list for shoulder and back issues while posting a career-worst .222/.311/.346 slash line in 98 games with the club.

The back-to-back campaigns filled with injuries and ineffectiveness were enough for the Marlins to decide to non-tender Anderson during the 2022-23 offseason, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. The infielder landed on his feet with a one-year deal with the Brewers that winter, though a .226/.310/.368 slash line in 361 trips to the plate with the club last year did little to re-establish him as a big league regular. Anderson found himself designated for assignment before the 2023 season came to a close and lingered on the free agent market into Spring Training before eventually joining the Mariners.

As for Chavis, the 28-year-old was once a first-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2014 and was a consensus top-100 prospect in baseball prior to his big league debut. His career hasn’t lived up to that potential to this point, however, as after a decent rookie season where he slashed a roughly league average .254/.322/.444 in 95 games, he’s posted a slash line of just .231/.265/.382 over the past four seasons split between the Red Sox, Pirates, and Nationals. Chavis was outrighted off of Washington’s 40-man roster back in October and elected free agency as a result, eventually landing with the Mariners on a minor league deal in January.

Since joining the Mariners, both Anderson and Chavis have posted solid numbers at the Triple-A level for the club. Anderson has slashed .270/.358/.439 in 176 trips to the plate, while Chavis has impressed with a .290/.367/.485 line in 191 trips to the plate. Unfortunately for the pair, an excellent performance from Dylan Moore as the club’s right-handed utility infielder has left either without an obvious path to big league playing time with the Mariners, particularly after Luis Urias was optioned to the minors to act as depth already on the 40-man roster.

In addition to their solid slash lines at the Triple-A level this year, both veterans can offer solid versatility. The duo split time at both first and third base for the Rainiers during their time in Tacoma, and Anderson has past experience in right field while Chavis has played not only the outfield corners but also second base throughout his career. Looking ahead, it’s fairly easy to imagine in need of infield depth jumping at the chance to sign either player on a minor league deal. Even so, it seems unlikely that interested clubs would be confident enough in the 2024 performances of either player to offer a big league pact given the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Share Repost Send via email

Seattle Mariners Transactions Brian Anderson Michael Chavis

10 comments

Mariners Part Ways With Coach Brant Brown

By Darragh McDonald | May 31, 2024 at 4:45pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they have relieved bench coach and offensive coordinator Brant Brown of his duties. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the news on X prior to the official announcement. Director of hitting strategy Jarret DeHart and assistant hitting coach Tommy Joseph will expand their current roles to compensate for Brown’s absence.

Brown, 52, just joined the Seattle staff coming into this year. He had previously served as a hitting coach for the Marlins and Dodgers at the major league level. Prior to holding those gigs, he was with the Mariners as a minor league coordinator.

The M’s are having a good season overall, currently sporting a record of 31-27 that has them atop the American League West. However, that’s largely due to a strong pitching staff and in spite of some lackluster offense. The team has a collective earned run average of 3.58, ninth-lowest in the majors.  But their hitters have collectively slashed .221/.295/.361 for a wRC+ of 94. That indicates they’ve been six percent below league average overall, a mark that bests just six other clubs in the league.

Over the offseason, president of baseball operations spoke of wanting to lower the club’s strikeout-heavy tendencies, which seemed to play a role in letting players like Teoscar Hernández, Mike Ford, Jarred Kelenic, Eugenio Suárez and Tom Murphy depart, either via trade or free agency.

This year, the club as a whole is striking out at a 28.3% rate, easily the worst in the majors. The Athletics are second-worst at 26.2%, a significant gap. That’s at least partially attributable to the front office bringing in other players with their own strikeout tendencies, such as Mitch Garver, Luke Raley and Mitch Haniger, but perhaps the ongoing problem with punchouts played a role in the club looking to make a change.

Regardless of the reasoning, it’s a notable development since it’s fairly rare for clubs to make midseason staff changes, especially when doing so well overall. Manager Scott Servais will try to guide the club forward without Brown, while DeHart and Joseph step up. DeHart has been a member of the staff since the 2020 season, going from assistant hitting coach to his current title. Joseph was just hired coming into the current campaign.

Share Repost Send via email

Seattle Mariners Brant Brown Jarret DeHart Tommy Joseph

54 comments

Mariners Select Ryan Bliss

By Anthony Franco | May 27, 2024 at 5:38pm CDT

The Mariners announced they’ve selected infielder Ryan Bliss onto the MLB roster. Second baseman Jorge Polanco is headed to the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the M’s recalled Sam Haggerty and placed him on the major league 60-day IL.

It’s the first major league call for the 24-year-old Bliss. The Diamondbacks picked the 5’7″ middle infielder in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Auburn. Bliss rebounded from a tough first full professional season with a breakout 2023 campaign. The right-handed hitter raked at a .358/.414/.594 clip with Arizona’s Double-A affiliate. He earned a call to the Futures Game last summer and was involved in a significant trade not long thereafter. The D-Backs packaged him to Seattle alongside Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone for closer Paul Sewald.

That wasn’t the most popular trade in the M’s clubhouse at the time, and the second-guessing only got louder when Seattle narrowly missed the playoffs last season. Sewald, meanwhile, stabilized a shaky bullpen in the desert to help Arizona to a surprising World Series berth. The Mariners have gotten good work from both Rojas and Canzone through the first two months of 2024, though. Bliss now joins them on the big league roster.

Bliss finished last season with the M’s top affiliate in Tacoma, hitting .251/.356/.466 over 47 games. He has similar numbers through 50 contests with the Rainiers this year. Bliss owns a .247/.382/.445 batting line through 229 plate appearances. He has walked at a massive 17% clip against a manageable 21.8% strikeout percentage. Bliss has already stolen 28 bases in 34 tries and has reasonable power numbers (seven homers, nine doubles and three triples).

While his slight frame limits his raw power upside, Bliss offers a well-rounded profile that could make him a viable everyday player. He has split his time about evenly between the middle infield spots this year. Prospect evaluators have generally preferred him at second base rather than shortstop because of his fringe arm strength.

That’s where he’ll slot in during his first MLB look. J.P. Crawford has shortstop secure, but Polanco has played sparingly in recent days because of hamstring discomfort. Acquired as part of an overhauled Seattle offense, the longtime Twin has slumped to a .195/.293/.302 showing to begin his Mariner tenure. The M’s plugged Luis Urías into the lineup when Polanco missed a few games two weeks ago. Seattle optioned him last week and will give Bliss a look at second base instead of the more experienced Urías, another offseason pickup who has only hit .152/.264/.316 in 34 games.

The M’s essentially had an open 40-man roster spot after Haggerty suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last week. That occurred in Tacoma, so the outfielder initially went on the minor league injured list. He’ll spend the rest of the season on the MLB IL, where he’ll pick up major league service. Haggerty should narrowly cross the four-year service threshold and would likely be in line for another salary in the realm of this year’s $900K if the Mariners tender him a contract next offseason.

Share Repost Send via email

Seattle Mariners Transactions Jorge Polanco Ryan Bliss Sam Haggerty

26 comments

Injured List Transactions: Beck, Robertson, Saucedo

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2024 at 5:28pm CDT

Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck suffered a fracture in his left hand while making a diving catch of a Nick Castellanos line drive in Colorado’s 8-4 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.  The injury naturally forced Beck out of the game, and the Rockies placed him on the 10-day injured list today, with outfielder Sean Bouchard called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Beck told reporters (including the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders) that he’ll undergo more tests today, and might then have a better idea of his recovery timeline.

Beck has been Colorado’s everyday left fielder since he made his MLB debut on April 30, as the Rox have wanted to take a long look at the top-100 prospect.  It hasn’t been a smooth transition for Beck, who was hitting only .190/.198/.316 with 30 strikeouts over his first 81 plate appearances in the big leagues.  The broken hand only adds to these woes, though getting to bank Major League service time while on the IL might represent some small silver lining for the 23-year-old.

Some other comings and goings from injured lists around baseball….

  • The Cardinals placed right-hander Nick Robertson on the 15-day IL (retroactive to May 23) and called up righty Andre Pallante from Triple-A Memphis.  Robertson is dealing with inflammation in his throwing elbow, but he told Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (X link) that he doesn’t believe the injury is too serious.  St. Louis acquired Robertson from the Red Sox as part of the trade package for Tyler O’Neill last December, and he has posted a 4.38 ERA over 12 1/3 innings out of the Cardinals’ bullpen.  A .364 BABIP and three homers allowed have inflated Robertson’s ERA, as his walk (3.8%) and strikeout (26.9%) rates have been impressive.
  • The Mariners reinstated left-hander Tayler Saucedo from the 15-day IL, and created roster space by optioning righty Eduard Bazardo to Triple-A.  Saucedo returns after missing just shy of three weeks due to a hyperextension of his right knee.  After emerging as a solid member of Seattle’s bullpen last year, Saucedo has been even better this season, with a 2.70 ERA and 52.8% grounder rate over his first 14 appearances and 13 1/3 innings in 2024.
Share Repost Send via email

Colorado Rockies Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Andre Pallante Eduard Bazardo Jordan Beck Nick Robertson Sean Bouchard Tayler Saucedo

7 comments

White Sox Claim Sammy Peralta Off Waivers From Mariners

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2024 at 1:06pm CDT

The White Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed left-hander Sammy Peralta off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A. The White Sox had an open space on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to bring Peralta into the fold.

Peralta, 26, returns to the south side of Chicago just a few weeks after being claimed off waivers from the club by Seattle. An 18th-round pick by the White Sox in the 2019 draft, Peralta ascended the minor league ladder to arrive in the big leagues with the club in 2023. In 16 appearances with the big league White Sox last year, the lefty pitched to a solid 4.05 ERA with a 4.41 FIP in 20 innings of work. While he struck out a decent 20% of batters faced during his time in the big leagues, control was a problem for the lefty as he surrendered free passes to 12.2% of his opponents. In 69 innings of work at the Triple-A level last year, Peralta managed to keep his walks to a minimum but had a problem with the home run ball, resulting in an ugly 5.09 ERA across his 29 appearances at the level that year.

Peralta’s lackluster minor league numbers and worrisome big league peripherals were enough to make him expendable for the White Sox as they sorted through their Opening Day roster crunch, and he was designated for assignment to make room for right-hander Jordan Leasure on the 40-man roster. That led the Mariners to claim him off waivers and stash him at the Triple-A level, but Peralta struggled to a 9.24 ERA in 12 appearances with the club and quickly found himself squeezed out of the organization in favor of righty Eduardo Salazar.

Fortunately for Peralta, the roster crunch in Chicago had lessened over the first two months of the season, and the club was able to add him back to their 40-man roster when the Mariners once again exposed him to the waiver wire. As such, he’s now set to return to his first MLB organization and act as optionable depth for the club capable of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen alongside Prelander Berroa. Tim Hill, Tanner Banks, and Jared Shuster currently occupy the club’s bullpen as options from the left-hand side.

Share Repost Send via email

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners Transactions Sammy Peralta

8 comments

Mariners Option Luis Urias

By Anthony Franco | May 24, 2024 at 5:21pm CDT

The Mariners announced this evening that they’ve optioned infielder Luis Urías to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle recalled rookie outfielder Jonatan Clase to take the open roster spot.

It’s a little surprising to see Urías optioned out entirely. The righty-hitting infielder has played regularly at third base this month. Urías hasn’t hit, though, slumping to a .152/.264/.316 line in 91 plate appearances on the season. Seattle welcomed J.P. Crawford back from the injured list earlier in the week, while Jorge Polanco has played two of the past three games after missing some time with a sore hamstring.

Crawford and Polanco should draw into middle infield on most days. Manager Scott Servais told reporters that Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore will platoon at third base (X link via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Rojas, a left-handed hitter, opened the season at the hot corner but moved to second base while Polanco was out. He’s out to a .286/.354/.421 line through 41 games, a solid rebound after his underwhelming 2023 season.

Moore has arguably been even more impressive. The righty-hitting utilityman handled shortstop while Crawford was injured and has hit .248/.359/.504 over 145 plate appearances. Moore has connected on six homers, including three in his last eight games, and is drawing walks at a lofty 12.4% clip.

As one would expect for a right-handed batter, Moore is better against lefty pitching. He has absolutely destroyed southpaws this season (.289/.391/.632 in 46 plate appearances), though he’s more than holding his own against righties as well. Moore has a .343 on-base percentage and is slugging .446 in 99 plate appearances without the platoon advantage, albeit with a modest .229 average.

Moore can also play second base and the corner outfield, so he should play fairly regularly even against right-handed pitching. He’ll likely be at third against opposing southpaws in place of Rojas, who is a career .253/.330/.346 hitter left-on-left. Urías, meanwhile, will get everyday reps in the Pacific Coast League as he tries to get on track. It’s the second straight year in which he has been optioned. The Brewers sent him down for 26 games midway through last season.

Urías entered 2024 with four years and 98 days of MLB service. He needs around three more weeks of major league time to cross the five-year threshold this season. In either case, that might wind up being immaterial. Urías is playing this season on a $5MM salary and would be in line for a modest raise next year if he’s tendered an arbitration contract.

He’d need a significant turnaround over the next few months or he’ll be an easy non-tender call for the Seattle front office. He’d already seemed like a non-tender candidate last offseason when he was with the Red Sox, but the M’s sent reliever Isaiah Campbell to Boston to give Urías a shot at a bounceback. It hasn’t transpired thus far.

Share Repost Send via email

Seattle Mariners Dylan Moore Josh Rojas Luis Urias

33 comments

Mariners Claim Eduardo Salazar, Designate Sammy Peralta

By Darragh McDonald | May 23, 2024 at 4:10pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they have claimed right-hander Eduardo Salazar off waivers from the Dodgers and assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. The Dodgers designated him for assignment earlier this week. In a corresponding move, left-hander Sammy Peralta has been designated for assignment.

Salazar, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason and he was added to their roster in mid-April. He only made one appearance for the big league club, tossing two scoreless innings, spending most of his time this year on optional assignment.

He made seven starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, tossing 33 2/3 innings with a 5.61 earned run average. He only struck out 13.7% of batters faced but limited walks to a 7.8% clip and got grounders on 58.6% of balls in play. With a .389 batting average on balls in play, it’s possible that luck played a role in how many runs he allowed to cross the plate.

Keeping the ball on the ground has been a feature of his game in the past as well. He made his major league debut with the Reds last year and had a 51.1% grounder rate in 12 1/3 innings, while also getting opponents to pound the ball into the dirt at a similar rate in the minors.

Salazar has worked both as a starter and a reliever in his career and could perhaps provide the Mariners with depth in both departments. He can be optioned for the rest of this year and for one more season as well. He also has just a handful of service days, meaning the Mariners can hang onto him for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to justify his roster spot.

Peralta, 26, was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in early April. He has made 12 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma but allowed 13 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. His 20% strikeout rate, 13.3% walk rate and 36.8% ground ball rate are all subpar.

That poor performance has led to him being bumped off Seattle’s roster and they will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Perhaps some club will be interested based on his previous work. He made his major league debut last year with the White Sox and had a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings. His 5.09 ERA in Triple-A last year wasn’t especially impressive but he did strike out 23.1% of batters faced while walking just 6.4%.

Share Repost Send via email

Los Angeles Dodgers Seattle Mariners Transactions Eduardo Salazar Sammy Peralta

16 comments

Mariners Acquire Mike Baumann

By Anthony Franco | May 23, 2024 at 10:00am CDT

May 23: Baumann reported to the Mariners’ roster today. The team announced that right-hander Cody Bolton has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to open a spot on the 26-man roster.

May 22: The Orioles and Mariners announced a trade late Wednesday evening. Seattle acquired reliever Mike Baumann and catcher Michael Pérez in exchange for younger catcher Blake Hunt, whom the O’s have optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore had designated Baumann for assignment over the weekend. Hunt and Baumann will each occupy spots on their new teams’ 40-man rosters. Pérez was on a minor league contract and will not assume a 40-man spot. Seattle’s roster is at capacity, while the O’s count is up to 39.

Baumann changes teams for the first time in his career. Baltimore drafted the right-hander in the third round back in 2017. A starting pitcher for most of his minor league tenure, he kicked to the bullpen in 2022. Baumann has turned in solid results over the past couple seasons. He tossed a career-high 64 2/3 innings of 3.76 ERA ball last season and has allowed 3.44 earned runs per nine through 17 appearances this year.

While Baumann’s run prevention marks have been good, his strikeout and walk profile is middling. He had a league average 22.3% strikeout percentage with a lofty 12.1% walk rate in 2023. His strikeout rate is down to 19.5% over 18 1/3 innings this season, while his 11% walk percentage remains higher than average. Baumann’s 9.9% swinging strike rate is a couple points below the league mark for relievers.

That certainly contributed to Baltimore’s decision to DFA him, but the more immediate driver was a lack of roster flexibility. Baumann is out of options, so the O’s couldn’t send him to the minors. He was one of six Baltimore relievers who can’t be optioned, and two who can be sent down (Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin) have been far too valuable to take out of the MLB bullpen.

Seattle has four out-of-options relievers of their own, but they can send down one of Eduard Bazardo or Cody Bolton to plug Baumann into the bullpen. Despite lacking huge swing-and-miss tallies, he should deepen their middle relief group. The Jacksonville product has induced ground-balls at a solid 46.4% clip. He averages north of 96 MPH on his fastball and mixes in a knuckle-curve and slider with regularity. Baumann has between one and two years of major league service. He’s controllable for four seasons beyond the current campaign and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2025-26 offseason.

The Mariners liked Baumann enough to part with Hunt, who is a more intriguing player than teams typically land for someone they’d designated for assignment. A former second-round pick of the Padres, he went to the Rays as part of the Blake Snell blockbuster. Hunt topped out at Triple-A in the Tampa Bay farm system. Despite a .256/.331/.484 showing in 2023, the Rays decided not to add him to their 40-man roster last fall. Rather than watch him depart for nothing in minor league free agency, Tampa Bay flipped him to Seattle for recent draftee Tatem Levins.

Seattle added Hunt to the 40-man to keep him in the organization. The 25-year-old has spent the season in Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s out to an excellent .293/.372/.533 start in 86 plate appearances. Hunt has already connected on four homers while striking out in only 11.6% of his trips to the plate. He slots in behind Adley Rutschman and James McCann on the organizational depth chart. There’s a chance Hunt makes his MLB debut at some point this year. Even if he spends the rest of the season in Norfolk, he could compete for next year’s backup catching job if the Orioles let McCann depart in free agency.

Pérez is a 31-year-old journeyman who signed a minor league deal with Baltimore over the offseason. He’s hitting .221/.294/.325 over 21 games in Norfolk. Pérez has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns and owns a .179/.248/.306 slash at the highest level. Including him in the deal allows Seattle to send an experienced, glove-first veteran to Tacoma after Hunt’s departure. He’s behind Cal Raleigh and Seby Zavala on the organizational depth chart.

Share Repost Send via email

Baltimore Orioles Seattle Mariners Transactions Blake Hunt Michael Perez Mike Baumann

45 comments

Mariners Select Jhonathan Díaz

By Darragh McDonald | May 22, 2024 at 5:25pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Jhonathan Díaz from Triple-A Tacoma, then optioned him to Tacoma. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times relays on X that the lefty had an opt-out in his minor league deal, which is why he got added to the 40-man but not the active roster. They had an open 40-man spot and thus didn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Díaz, 27, signed a minor league deal with the M’s in January. He has since made nine appearances for Tacoma, eight starts, logging 51 innings with a 3.18 earned run average. He has struck out 26.2% of batters faced while giving out walks just 4.3% of the time. He has also kept 56.3% of balls in play on the ground. The fact that all that took place in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League makes it all the more impressive.

The lefty also has 35 1/3 innings of major league experience, which came with the Angels from 2021 to 2023. He had a 4.48 ERA in that time, though with his strikeout and walk rates matching at an unimpressive 14.4% level. He tossed 210 1/3 minor league innings over that same period of time with a 4.45 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate.

The Mariners are clearly intrigued by the recent form Díaz has shown and didn’t want him to get away. He still has options and they had an open spot on the 40-man, they were able to simply add him there and keep him in Tacoma, preventing him from returning to the open market.

The M’s have a strong rotation right now composed of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller. On optional assignment, they have Emerson Hancock and Levi Stoudt as depth options, with Díaz now joining them as guys who could be recalled for a spot start or as an injury replacement.

Share Repost Send via email

Seattle Mariners Transactions Jhonathan Diaz

14 comments

Mariners Notes: Crawford, Raley, Emerson

By Anthony Franco | May 20, 2024 at 6:04pm CDT

Before tonight’s matchup with the Yankees, the Mariners reinstated J.P. Crawford from the 10-day injured list. Seattle optioned Leo Rivas to Triple-A Tacoma to open a roster spot. Dylan Moore is starting at shortstop tonight, but Crawford will be available off the bench and could return to the lineup tomorrow.

Crawford appeared in 22 games before suffering an oblique strain in late April. He was off to a slow start, hitting .198/.296/.302 with two homers over 98 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting infielder had the best season of his career in 2023, when he popped a personal-high 19 homers with a .266/.380/.438 slash over 145 games. Crawford walked at a near-15% clip while striking out less than 20% of the time.

Moore has played shortstop in Crawford’s absence. The right-handed hitter has performed admirably, hitting .239/.316/.507 with 11 extra-base hits in 22 games. Moore has played well enough that he should stay in the lineup in a multi-positional role with Crawford’s return. In the short term, that could come at second base, where Jorge Polanco remains day to day as he battles hamstring soreness. Luis Urías has drawn in the lineup at third base in recent days, pushing Josh Rojas to the keystone.

Seattle could also mix and match more frequently at first base, although that’s not on account of injury. Luke Raley got the start there against Corbin Burnes in yesterday’s series finale in Baltimore. That pushed Ty France to the bench and allowed Dominic Canzone to draw into left field. It was Raley’s fourth start of the season at first base, in addition to his 24 starts in the outfield.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that manager Scott Servais could more frequently pencil Raley in at first base against right-handed starters. That’d allow the M’s to get the lefty bats of Raley and Canzone into the lineup while cutting into France’s playing time. France, a 2022 All-Star, slumped to a roughly league average .250/.337/.366 line last season. He’s off to an even slower start in 2024, hitting .235/.285/.359 through his first 165 plate appearances.

Raley (.297/.327/.444) and Canzone (.220/.289/.488) have made more of an offensive impact, particularly from a power perspective. The Mariners aren’t planning to utilize a strict first base platoon that’d keep France out of action against right-handed pitching entirely. To that end, he’s in tonight’s lineup against Yankees righty Marcus Stroman. Raley and Canzone are starting in the corner outfield, pushing Mitch Haniger to DH and Mitch Garver to the bench. With each of Garver, Haniger and France underperforming, Servais could trim into the playing time for any of that group to keep Raley and Canzone in the lineup.

Beyond the major league shuffling, the M’s provided an update on one of their top minor league infield talents. Colt Emerson, whom Seattle took with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft, will miss some time for Low-A Modesto. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer tweets that Emerson recently suffered a fracture after fouling a ball off his foot and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. The 18-year-old is a consensus top 100 minor league talent. He was out to an excellent .271/.441/.414 start with more walks than strikeouts over 19 games before the injury.

Share Repost Send via email

Notes Seattle Mariners Colt Emerson J.P. Crawford Luke Raley Ty France

34 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
Show all
    Top Stories

    Orioles Re-Sign Zach Eflin

    Cubs Sign Hunter Harvey

    Marlins Sign Pete Fairbanks

    Athletics, Tyler Soderstrom Agree To Seven-Year Extension

    Pirates To Sign Ryan O’Hearn

    White Sox Sign Sean Newcomb

    Athletics Acquire Jeff McNeil

    Mets Sign Luke Weaver

    Nationals Sign Foster Griffin

    Padres Sign Sung-Mun Song

    Rangers Re-Sign Chris Martin

    Red Sox Acquire Willson Contreras

    White Sox To Sign Munetaka Murakami

    Blue Jays Interested In Alex Bregman

    Tigers Re-Sign Kyle Finnegan

    Astros, Pirates, Rays Finalize Three-Team Trade Sending Brandon Lowe To Pittsburgh, Mike Burrows To Houston, Jacob Melton To Tampa

    Rays Trade Shane Baz To Orioles

    Nine Teams Exceeded Luxury Tax Threshold In 2025

    Royals Acquire Matt Strahm

    Twins Sign Josh Bell

    Recent

    Orioles Re-Sign Zach Eflin

    Joe Kelly Announces End Of His Playing Career

    Rangers Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minors Contract

    Orioles Designate Will Robertson For Assignment

    MLBTR Chat Transcript

    Andrew Heaney Announces Retirement

    Latest On Tigers, Alex Bregman

    Cubs Sign Hunter Harvey

    Marlins Sign Pete Fairbanks

    Longtime Athletics Scout Will Schock Passes Away

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • 2025-26 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Front Office Originals
    • Tim Dierkes' MLB Mailbag
    • 2025-26 Offseason Outlook Series
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version