The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Brandyn Garcia. Right-hander Juan Burgos has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but is now full.
Garcia, now 25, was an 11th-round pick of the M’s in the 2023 draft. The M’s tried stretching him out last year, with good results. He tossed 116 innings with a 2.25 earned run average, 27% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 53.4% ground ball rate.
Despite those solid numbers, the M’s decided to have him work as a reliever this year. There have been some concerns about his control and he mostly only throws two pitches, a sinker and a slider, so evaluators have suggested he would be a reliever in the long run.
The numbers are good again this year. He has thrown 33 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a combined 3.51 ERA. His 11.4% walk rate is high but he has punched out 28.2% of batters faced and gotten opponents to pound 55.4% of batted balls into the ground. Last month, FanGraphs ranked him the #15 prospect in the system. Baseball America currently has him in the #19 slot.
Seattle has had Gabe Speier as the only lefty in the bullpen for much of the year. Jhonathan Díaz and Tayler Saucedo each got brief stints, pitching less than five innings each. Garcia will provide the club with a second lefty arm for now. Perhaps the M’s will make some bullpen additions ahead of the trade deadline. Since this is Garcia’s first big league call, he has a full slate of options and can be easily sent back to Tacoma if he gets squeezed out by Seattle’s deadline activity.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Brannn-dynnnn!
lets see what the Mariners pitching lab can do
Mariners seem to have a nice supply of pitching prospects 😂
My parents are friends with his mother. Been waiting for this news since ST when the M’s told him he’d be their first lefty call. Congrats Brandyn!
Read this in an Italian voice
Congratulatyns Brandyn!!!!
I can’t believe this guy isnt related to the rock Freddy Garcia
Great news! Let’s see how it works out.
Let’s go Brandyn!
Mock trade
Nolan Gorman
Steven Matz
Phil Maton
For
Ryan Sloan
This guy
No
Yeah the Mariners will probably sell anyways. Mariners gotta Mariner.
In deadline trades, three years ago Seattle landed Luis Castillo and last year the Mariners landed Randy Arozarena. As deadline buyers, the M’s arguably acquired the top pitcher in 2022 and the top hitter in 2024.
Let’s not forget that Castillo and Arozarena have made All Star appearances for the Mariners.
Mariners gotta Mariner.
Phil Maton is the only one of those guys that might be better than someone in their BP by maybe replacing casey legumina with him. Matz does nothing and M’s arent sending Cole Young down for Gorman. Your suggesting M’s trading their top SP prospect and their top RP prospect for a 2B who is not better than current 2B and 2 middle relievers? I can see M’s trading some of their 9 top 100 prospects but would do so to improve team. Aren’t you the one that every year is suggesting Cardinal utility players for M’s starting pitching? I believe you were suggesting Gorman or Donovan for Woo or Kirby last year.
Arozarena was playing poorly.
Remind me what happened at the 2023 trade deadline. I believe they traded their closer and then missed the playoffs by 1 game. You are the expert here is that true?
Matz is definitely capable of being the Mariners second left handed reliever in the pen. He would replace this guy that just got promoted duh.
Gorman is not really a 2b hes a 1b who hasn’t played there much because of team need.
Sloan is not the Mariners top pitching prospect that would be Anderson.
Seattle has gotten 4.6 bWAR from the three players acquired in the 2023 Paul Sewald trade while the Diamondbacks got 0.6 bWAR and a 4.08 ERA in 62 appearances from Sewald.
The Mariners did not acquired superstars but found value in their Opening Day third baseman in 2024, their Opening Day second baseman in 2025, and outfielder Dominic Canzone, who has a career OPS+ of 103, including an OPS+ of 160 in 32 games this season.
Also, trading Sewald moved Munoz into the closer role and had Brash and Topa has main setup guys. I believe they had the best BP after the deadline so it did not hurt them that season and has worked out to be a solid trade.
Yep same guy. He proposed Gorman for Logan Gilbert as well last offseason. He doesn’t seem to respect what it costs to pry away young controllable starting pitching away. I’ve yet to see even one of his proposals that would get the Mariners attention.
Arozarena had stunk in April and early May, so his overall numbers were poor. He’d already snapped out of it long before the trade to Seattle, however.
This sounds like one of those prototypical “we want to give you this guy who isn’t very good and we don’t want, and we will try to beef it up with 2 other players who also aren’t very good and we will take 2 of your top prospects” kind of trades.
Gorman is better than whatever the Mariners have been putting out there at 1b all season. He can also play some 2b and 3b.
Matz and Maton are both quality relievers who will certainly be in demand if the Cardinals sell.
You can look this stuff up yourself.
This year Nolan Gorman has posted 0.1 bWAR and an OPS+ of 100 in 66 games.
Now off the injured list, Seattle first baseman Luke Raley has posted 0.5 bWAR and an OPS+ of 106 in 45 games. The previous two seasons Raley posted a combined 6.0 bWAR with OPS+ of 125 and 129.
Raley can play outfield. Both Gorman and Raley can DH. And Gormans WAR would be higher if he played 1b instead of positions like 2b he isnt any good at.
Its not am either or situation. Ood teams have depth.
He thought people wouldn’t look it up.
A switch of Nolan Gorman to first base would hurt his bWAR because of the positional adjustment:
baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained_positio…
Scroll down.
Gorman could play a good 1b. He’s not a good 2b or 3b. He’s always been a guy who belonged at 1b but Goldschmidt was blocking him and now Contreras is. Also Burleson is a better defensive 1b than he will ever be.
The Gorman that’s hitting .189 with runners on, .155 with RISP, and has had 1 (yes, one) PA and played 1 inning as a first baseman this year?
The Gorman that has a 105 wRC+ against RHPs and a 37.5 K% this month?
That Gorman?
You’ll have to forgive Mariner fans for having more confidence in Luke Raley who has been better than Gorman.
Its not an either or. You can have both. Good contending teams have depth.
If you don’t think Gorman is good then so be it.
Do you think Matz and Maton would help or do you just want to focus on 1 of the 3 guys I named like a troll?
Again I hope the Mariners do nothing at the deadline.
No, they can’t. Gorman isn’t a first baseman and he doesn’t offer better value than anyone currently on the roster.
I can focus on whatever I feel like focusing on.
Gorman belongs at 1b. Thats a fact. Thats where he will be playing at some point in his career.
Again if you dont like Gorman so be it. Do you think the Mariners need pen help? I do.
Why is literally everyone effectively telling you are wrong? You’re simply a Cardinals homer hoping to fleece the Mariners. They know what they have. Try a real trade proposal; one that stings to give up.
The only guy on the cards I think the M’s should go after is Maton. He would cost like P rizzi and catcher Hunt. No one else on the cards fields a need for the mariners. No way cards sell low price for Helsey
I’m not keen on rental relievers, because Seattle will have the same problem in the offseason..
Fermín would make good insurance for Williamson and Young. He has excellent plate discipline and would represent an upgrade over Mastrobuoni. Sometimes little things like that prove to be vital.
But Seattle will have to look at other organizations for more significant help..
Gorman and Raley aren’t likely to DH over Polanco and Cal, when he isn’t catching. Don’t look now but Garver has started hitting again (after a year and a half!) and is probably also a preferred DH-option over Gorman, too.
Maybe Fedde and Gorman for Solano and Legumina?
Why would the Cardinals want either of those guys? Those 2 are garbage.
Exactly. See how that works
What are you talking about? Maton is having an excellent year. Matz is having an excellent year. Those are players that could help the Mariners win in 2025. Maybe if your team had more than 1 playoff appearance the last 20 years you would understand this sort of stuff better.
If that’s relevant …
Since the start of the 2023 season the St. Louis Cardinals have posted a 205-219 record, the ninth-worst mark of the 30 MLB teams.
Over that period, the Mariners are in the Top 10 in an era that sends 12 teams to the postseason.
1 playoff appearance in over 20 years. Thats a fact fella. The Cardinals have had a poor few years recently. The Mariners have sucked since their existence. Thats real.
This isn’t the 1990s. The Mariners aren’t going to give away good prospects for your Heathcliff Slocumb vets.
The 90s were the last time the Mariners were actually good.
You play to win the game.
The frustration of St. Louis Cardinal fans is understandable … as is the recent optimism of some Seattle Mariner fans.
Gorman is, has been and always will be hot garbage. He wouldnt get playing time over any of the players the Mariners are currently using at 1st. Maton and Matz are having decent seasons… but Garcia is basically Matz with higher upside and 9 years younger. Maton is an older inconsistent pitcher and not worth giving up a young stud like Sloan for.
It’s just a bad trade for the Mariners… period.
I hope the Mariners miss the playoffs by 1 game again. That would serve the fans right.
Let’s hope the St. Louis Cardinals advance to the postseason this year despite their current 18.4 percent odds at FanGraphs:
fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds
Then suggest players that will actually help them win games. That trade does nothing. I would understand Garcia for Maton straight up because that probably does improve the BP slightly this season but Garcia has potential to be a solid late innings reliever this season or next. Don’t want the other two players.
The Cardinals are having a so so year. The Mariners have made the playoffs 1 time in the last 20 years and have never won a championship in their existence.
Matz is good. He’s better than some dude who just got called up from AAA. You like stats look it up chief.
I dont care man. I hope the Mariners do nothing at the deadline and barely miss the playoffs like they usually do.
Well I’m sure they make a trade or two to try to improve their team. I doubt it would be for anyone on Cards roster and definitely not top prospects for players the cardinals don’t even want.
The best fans don’t wish misfortune on other teams.
Be well.
The best fans dont try to tag team a fan of another team and make up nonsense like you both have done.
Saying that Matz is better than Garcia simply because he is just getting called up from AAA is so short-sighted and uninformed lol. So before Skenes was called up, that automatically made him worse than Miles Mikolas?
Garcia has way higher upside than Matz.
What on earth are you talking about? Matz has had an excellent year. Contending teams trade prospects for guys who are having good years thats how it works junior.
You think this guy is Skenes? I dont. Heck contending teams call up prospects aro8nd this time to showcase them to other teams. You would understand this if your team was a contender more often.
Alright Mr. Condescending know-it-all. I’m done with you because you clearly don’t want to listen to criticism or use common sense. I never said Matz hasn’t been good, I said that Garcia is basically Matz with higher upside so it wouldn’t make sense to make a swap like that. That is basically a 1 for 1, and we aren’t trading Sloan for Maton and Gorman. He can be used in a package for a much better return.
I didn’t say Garcia was Skenes, I was making the point that you can’t just say “some guy from AAA” to make your argument about why he’s worse. Every player started in the minors.
Please point out the specific nonsense …
… and calm down while you’re at it. A healthy baseball discussion should not cause misery. Let’s enjoy this exchange.
Garcia is not Matz because Matz has been doing it against big leaguers all season and Garcia has not. Thats a stupid statement on your part. Matz has a better ERA in the big leagues in 2025 than Garcia has in the minors. He’s better right now. Maybe in the future that changes. But the Mariners are supposedly in win now mode.
There isnt much more annoying when I suggest trading away my teams talented players for prospects and the other teams fans ignore how good my teams players are and talk about how great their prospects are. This is what Orioles fans have done the last few years and frankly they got what they deserve.
Sometimes you gotta go for it. At some point you have to play to win. The Mariners are overdue.
Your responses and lack of reasonable conversation is one of the things that’s more annoying… just so you’re aware.
What reasonable conversation? The only trade proposal anyone else suggested was 2 bums named Solano and whoever that reliever was.
Make a suggestion yourself. The Cardinals dont need Ford thats for sure.
I hope you do understand the irony of calling Solano a bum and asking why you would want him when he has been just as productive as Gorman this year and actually plays 1B lol.
Donovan and Matz for Sloan, Garcia and Dawel Joseph would be a much more even trade.
I think my trade scenario that I thought was garbage for both teams is actually a much more likely than your trade scenario and actually would be advantage for Cardinals because it would at least save them money. You suggested 2 garbage players that Seattle wouldnt want and an ok middle reliever that has been inconsistent his entire career for a top prospect in baseball + another solid prospect. I suggested a below average 1B + below average RP for a below average 1B + below average SP that just got designated for assignment today. My proposal made more sense than yours and I was just making something up. You put thought into yours.
I hope the Mariners stand pat and miss the playoffs by 1 game. Again.
1 playoff appearance in over 20 years. If its broke dont fix it…….
Ryan Sloan is a a tremendous prospect. Good luck prying young controllable starters away from the Mariners.
Sloan is currently ranked #61 overall by MLB pipeline, just a few spots behind the Cardinals 2nd best prospect #55. The Cardinals homer would never trade Quinn Mathews for Carlos Vargas, Leody Taveras, and Jackson Kowar a virtually similar proposal to the garbage one he made. He either way overvalues guys in his own system or lacks any understanding of the value of players on other teams, most likely both.
I hope you do understand the irony of calling Solano a bum and asking why you would want him when he has been just as productive as Gorman this year and actually plays 1B lol.
Donovan and Matz for Sloan, Garcia and Dawel Joseph would be a much more even trade.
Solano is a soon to be free agent knucklehead. Gorman has 3 years of control left and upside. Solano is worthless.
That suggested trade is nonsense. Donovan has a ton of value hes not being moved for that package. Not happening.
RP Casey Legumina needs to be optioned to AAA, too. What are they waiting for…his ERA to exceed 6.00?
Here is what I propose.
Atlanta trades 1B Matt Olson to the M’s for::
SP Emerson Hancock
SP Michael Morales
1B Tyler Locklear
OF Dominic Canzone
I actually like the idea of going after Olson, but I believe that what you are offering isn’t all that tempting…
At this point, I haven’t seen a lot of trade rumors I’d prefer over giving Locklear another shot. The kid is raking after making a batting adjustment 2 months ago. Hey, it worked for Canzone so far.
Locklear has been on a tear since 20 June.