The Mariners announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Matt Festa for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Jose Siri, whose previously reported waiver claim out of the Reds organization has now been formally announced by Seattle.
Festa, 27 next month, has pitched 30 2/3 innings of relief with the Mariners over the past two seasons, logging a 4.70 ERA with a 25-to-14 K/BB ratio and a 36.5 percent ground-ball rate along the way. Seattle initially selected him in the seventh round of the 2016 draft.
Festa has enjoyed solid numbers in Double-A and Triple-A, albeit in limited samples of work. The East Stroudsberg University product pitched to a 2.76 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 49 innings in 2018 before logging a 2.64 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 30 2/3 Triple-A frames in 2019. Festa doesn’t throw particularly hard (93 mph average four-seamer) and doesn’t have the type of gaudy spin rates that attract some clubs to pitchers who lack premium velocity. His success in the upper minors and the fact that he has a minor league option year remaining, however, could earn him a look with another club.
The Mariners will have a week to trade Festa, place him on outright waivers or release him.
this guy has some potential. no way he gets through waivers.
I like him too, you’d think they’d have better options in the 40 man to trim.
Seems like the M’s have invested a lot of time in him, the Reds are retooling and Siri could be useful.
First place ribbon
Thank you Johnny Superscout
festa fiesta
Ok Siri what happened with Matt Festa?
the robots are taking our roster spots!
Uncle Festa no longer gets to hang out with his cousin Austin Adams in the bullpen.
Mariners continue their purge of homegrown players from their 40-man
They should have dumped Dylan Moore.
Yeah, the Mariners need pitching more than a 27 year old infielder with little potential currently…
Siri is an outfielder
He’s referring to Dylan Moore. See post above his.
He’s referring to Dylan Moore.
Dylan Moore was their best defender last season, so I’m not sure he has no place on the roster.
Party’s over for Festa
Festa and Reggie McLain designated- hmm… upper mgmt obviously thinks we have a wealth of RP’s.
There are several in the minors knocking on the door with more potential than those two, so yeah, I can see why they think we have a wealth of RPs.
Jack Anderson, Joey Gerber, Wyatt Mills, Sam Delaplane, and Aaron Fletcher are all NRI RPs who could get call ups this year.
Yet again we release someone for a bs waiver claim ourselves. They just give up on guys in the minors so easily I don’t get it.