The Mariners have claimed Ryan Weber off waivers from the Brewers, the two clubs announced. Milwaukee designated Weber for assignment earlier this week after acquiring Kyle Lobstein from the Nationals. To create 40-man roster space, Seattle designated infielder Wyatt Mathisen for assignment.
Weber’s stay in Milwaukee proved quite brief. The Brew Crew added him off waivers from the Red Sox last month, and he ultimately made just a single appearance with the team. He also pitched in one major league game with Boston, but the majority of his experience this season has come at the minors’ highest level.
Between the Red Sox’s and Brewers’ top affiliates, Weber has made nine appearances (eight starts) in Triple-A this year, working to a 5.02 ERA with an average 23.5% strikeout percentage and a strong 6.0% walk rate. The right-hander has been quite good at that level over the course of his career. In parts of six Triple-A seasons, he’s pitched to a stingy 3.08 ERA, striking out hitters at a below-average rate (17.1%) but rarely doling out free passes (5.2% walk percentage) and inducing plenty of groundballs.
To date, he hasn’t carried that success over to the major league level. While Weber’s racked up grounders at a lofty 52.8% clip over his 61 MLB appearances, he’s only managed a 5.27 ERA/4.30 SIERA thanks to a lack of missed bats. Still, the 30-year-old is capable of working as a starter or multi-inning reliever, and he can be optioned for the remainder of the season. So long as he sticks on the 40-man roster, Weber will give the Mariners front office a flexible depth option for the pitching staff.
Seattle acquired Mathisen from the Rays for cash considerations last month. He’s spent his entire Mariners tenure at Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s slumped to a .122/.302/.184 line across 63 plate appearances. That belies a generally strong track record at that level. Mathisen has hit a much better .258/.362/.491 over parts of three Triple-A seasons, but he hasn’t performed well in a brief big league look comprising 84 plate appearances between 2020-21.
The Mariners will have a week to trade Mathisen or expose him to waivers. He’s already been in DFA limbo twice this season — first with the Diamondbacks and then with Tampa Bay — and been acquired by a rival club each time. It wouldn’t be surprising if another team picks him up via small trade or waiver claim, although his most recent struggles with the Rainiers could dissuade clubs from devoting him a 40-man roster spot.
I’d like to see Seattle put some moves together and make a run at the West. They have some exciting young players. From the outside looking in, they could be pretty fun for a few years. Texas and Los Angeles are both terrible as usual, Oakland never seems to do anything in the postseason, and no one outside of Houston would ever root for those schmucks. Let’s see what the M’s can do with a few more pieces…..
A lot of fans are just happy they’re fun to watch sometimes… or at all. And sure, there’s a lot to be happy about when your mostly abysmal team is graced with yet another awful run differential, has some truly great players on both sides of the ball and all of the up and coming potential; but one also must brace themselves for a sell off of the shorter term, good players in the very near future. I’d love Haniger and Graveman to stay and be part of the next actually good Seattle core, but do I expect them to? Not so much. Especially at this point. Plus, those are the players that other, better teams could use even more than the Mariners could as we all wait for their run differential to even itself out in the form of a worse record and some losing streaks. One run games are a crapshoot like that.
I dig your excitement and wouldn’t mind being wrong though, it’s fun to imagine what could be a possibility in the end and sometimes those types of considerations as a fan are worth the price of admission of being a fan alone. Like a lotto ticket in a bad baseball team performing well form, who knows.
The Brewers sell off has begun! HUZZAH! Surprised they didn’t get a prospect back like the Cubs did
3.5 GB. It’s possible!
I’m wouldn’t spend much of anything to improve. I’d wait another year or two.
The Mariners dumped Will Vest but claim Weber? Vest’s ERA is literally over 6 Runs lower than Weber’s. Apparently Jerry is the personification of “Idle hands are the Devil’s playthings”
Vest was a Rule-5 so had to take up a 26 man spot and was getting rocked every outing. Weber can go to Tacoma and they are probably wanting SP depth since they have 5 starters on IL
In addition to being a Rule-5 Will Vest is strictly a Reliever, Weber was acquired to fill the role of SP6 and/or long relief. This move is more about Justus Sheffield’s injury and the hole that it leaves in the rotation, not the bullpen.
I’m honestly surprised teams dont have like 4 players in AAA that are better than this guy.
let Mathisen play
Im enjoying the way they’re playing, but no way they could go anywhere in the playoffs. With just three decent pitchers? Kikuchi, Flexen and Gilbert are the only steady. Marco is all over the place, Sheffield obviously wasn’t ready and Dunn is still aways away. Build for next year. Keep playing the young guys and see what happens. Do NOT mortgage any of that future on some rental for this year. We’re an Ace, one more big bat and a closer away from sustained success.
I don’t think they need to go out and get a closer for next year. They have Graveman, hopefully see Munoz sometime this season and next season they have Ken Giles to back end of BP.
I agree with your status of our starting pitching but disagree with us being unable to have a chance in the playoffs. Based on the blowouts that we’ve had, that run differential doesn’t mean squat IMO. I’m glad they called Kelenic back up and glad we are giving Raleigh a shot. So I think we have a shot if we can stay healthy. Even if we trade Haniger….and one of our catchers(I like ‘em all, but we can’t carry 3 all the time). Don’t forget we have Ken Giles next year and a lot of money. This year would be awesome, but I believe next year is going to be the grand beginning of a long-term run.
Don’t forget the M’s signed Kenny Giles to be the closer next year. If they can retain the Grave Man and have Kenny Powers throwing darts on the backend, yeeehaww don’t sleep on them boys in 2022!
Woah 100 Miles Giles I forgot he got signed
Giles for 2 years plus an option, amigo! Sewald, Steckenrider and Chargois are all back next year also. Now that he’s not being run into the ground Misciewicz has been really good again for the last month also w a 2.00 ERA and a 0.56 Whip. He’s under control for 4-5 yrs. I understand that BP success fluctuates yr to yr but we should have a good pen for a couple seasons+
Sewald Steckenrider and Chargois- provided Dipoto doesn’t move them of course!
Dunn a ways away?? He’s been one of the best pitchers in the a.l before he got injured. And did u see Marco last game? He been thru a lot this year it happens. While I think we do need starting pitching I think Marco will be fine and dunn has looked really good. Sheff was battling injuries he didn disclose so that could be a reason for the super high era the last month
A Weber grill might be more useful to the Mariners