Veteran righty Hisashi Iwakuma told reporters in his native Japan that he is weighing an offer to return to the Mariners, as the Japan Times reports (h/t MLB.com’s Greg Johns). The precise nature of the team’s proposal is not known.
The 36-year-old Iwakuma says that, while there’s nothing official at the moment, he may “be able to make a positive announcement soon.” He added that he hopes to rehab his surgically repaired shoulder “in time for the start of the new season.”
The 2017 campaign was more or less a total wash for Iwakuma, who turned in six mediocre starts before his shoulder put him on the shelf. He lost nearly three miles per hour on his average fastball while recording only 16 strikeouts and surrendering seven long balls in 31 frames.
Seattle recently made the easy call to decline a $10MM club option over Iwakuma, preferring instead to pay him a $1MM buyout. That decision wrapped up the contract — a one-year pact with consecutive vesting/club options — that brought the veteran hurler back to the M’s after a physical scuttled a deal with the Dodgers in the 2015-16 offseason.
As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne detailed in examining the Mariners’ offseason needs, the club has a variety of options on hand to fill out the staff. But while GM Jerry Dipoto has generally expressed satisfaction with the existing unit, there are plenty of questions — and opportunities — remaining in the rotation.
Taking a low-risk shot on the respected Iwakuma would certainly be one way for the team to open the door to finding some quality innings. In 2016, Iwakuma turned in 199 innings of 4.12 ERA pitching. And he was quite a bit more productive in the four seasons before that, working to a cumulative 3.17 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 through 653 2/3 frames after moving to Seattle from Japan’s Rakuten Golden Eagles before the 2012 campaign. Regaining anything approaching that form, though, will obviously require a full return to health.
I would imagine if he wants to pitch again he will be back. Bring him in with Darvish and Ohtani I think we will have a pretty decent rotation.
The words “Darvish and Ohtani” don’t belong in the same sentence as “decent.” With those two it’s almost automatically good.
Woh, good?? That’s too far
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I’m all for bringing him back for cheap
Ohtani and Darvish are a dream, don’t think either of those happen
A pipe dream for sure but M’s fans gotta dream chief.
Darvish can stay where’s he at…I’d rather take Lynn or Cobb….Darvish got hit around a lot at the end of the season and l’d like to see someone a little more consistent. Ohtani is the dream thought but not sure we have a realistic spot for a 2 way pitcher with Cruz holding down the DH. Could we put Ohtani in the out field? Sure, but not sure I would be happy with benching Gamel or Haniger to make that happen. I’d rather spend the money on Cain! He’s a better fit for the ball club.
You wouldn’t bench gamel for Ohtani? Cmon!
I wouldn’t want Ohtani in the outfield just for the injury risk. You’re paying him to be a pitcher, you’re letting him hit just to make him happy. He wouldn’t agree to it, but i would want a clause in his contract that if he gets hurt because of his two-way player fantasy there’s so financial protection for the team.
Move Haniger to center, Gamel in left and Ohtani in right. Expect I don’t think Ohtani has ever played the outfield so you’d have to see how it works out in spring training. And you wouldn’t want him going hard after anything in right that would risk injury so he probably wouldn’t be very good. But if he gives you 20, hits around .280 and pitches to a 3.5 ERA, i’d make that trade off.
I think he was an outfielder before he got hurt this season
They need fill the rotation. Combination of Ohtani & maybe some low end guy (Tillman, Foster, etc). Then go for Santana & Cozart. That frees you up to trade Seagers contract for either another starter or an OF to go with Haniger.
Lol “weighing his options” didn’t this guy disappoint the Mariners last year by planning to depart for LA only to not pass his physical and come back to Seattle.
No.
1: it was two years ago.
2: he did not disappoint the Mariners. The Dodgers were going to pay him 3/45 and the Mariners got him for 1/12 with two options; they were very happy he came back for that.
Pardon me, I will get my intern on that mistake.
No. He failed a physical with the Dodgers. The mariners gambled and lost.
Won?… he pitched decently for them and then they only had to pay him a $1 million buyout
Jerry D, who continues to proove hes the best gm in the leuge will get Otahni, darvish, kuuuuuuuma! and will work out a deal with florida for gincarlo stantin and it’s world series baby! RTL BABY!
They say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. One day we’ll hold that trophy and the world will be as one
Hey Refuse…..put down the bong !
I refuse to put the bong down. im a dye hard mariners fan so i could never say anything bad this amazing organization. Especailly Jerry D. He makes the most incredible moves that other gm’s are jelaus of. he will fleace other teams into trading good players to us. just like we fleaced the yankees in giving us Ben Gamil.