The Mariners have signed right-hander Konner Wade to a minor league contract, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Wade elected free agency last October after being outrighted off the Orioles’ 40-man roster.
Wade signed a minors deal with Baltimore prior to the 2021 season, and his Orioles tenure resulted in his Major League debut. The righty appeared in seven games with the O’s last year, posting an 11.68 ERA over 12 1/3 innings. That number was inflated by two particularly poor outings against the Angels and Blue Jays, as Wade allowed 11 runs in three total innings over those two games.
The 30-year-old is a veteran of eight pro seasons, mostly spent in the Rockies organization after Colorado drafted him in the seventh round in 2013. Wade was actually dealt to the Orioles during the 2017 offseason but was released near the end of Spring Training, and then moved on to pitch in independent baseball and in the Red Sox farm system.
Over 735 career innings in the minors, Wade has a 3.76 ERA and only a 15.27% strikeout rate. After being a grounder specialist earlier in his career, Wade’s strikeout total did jump up a bit while pitching with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate last year. Wade has worked as both a starter and reliever, so he could serve as minor league depth for the Mariners in a variety of different roles, whether the team wishes to use him as a swingman, long reliever, or perhaps a spot starter.
Making the rounds: Colorado, Boston, Baltimore, and now Seattle.
Why??
Konnor, avoid the negative, keep on trying. You’re still young enough to make your mark on baseball.