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Mariners Notes: Brash, Santos, Urias, Phillips

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The Mariners have shut relievers Matt Brash and Gregory Santos down from throwing for the time being, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Neither the team nor Brash would get into specifics regarding his injury, though Divish notes that the M’s don’t believe it to be a serious issue. Brash simply told Divish that he’s “banged up” and “didn’t feel great” after his most recent bullpen session. GM Justin Hollander added that the organizational hope is for Brash to resume a throwing progression next week. Santos, meanwhile, is dealing with some discomfort near his teres major muscle that popped up during his most recent ’pen session. There’s no specific timetable for his return to throwing.

While the team hasn’t yet conveyed significant concerns on either player, both should be watched with a keen eye. Brash quietly emerged as one of the most dominant setup men in the league last season. His 3.06 ERA in 70 2/3 innings is impressive on its own, but that masks a sensational four-month run to close out the season.

Brash posted strong secondary marks but pedestrian run-prevention numbers in the season’s first two months. But from Memorial Day weekend onward, the righty delivered a 2.36 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate. Brash averaged a blazing 98.2 mph on his heater in 2023, saved four games and picked up another 24 holds. He’s expected to be the primary setup man for closer Andres Munoz and is slated for regular high-leverage work; even an absence of moderate length would be a sizable blow for the M’s.

That’s also true of Santos, whom the Mariners just acquired from the White Sox earlier this month (in a trade sending outfielder Zach DeLoach, righty Prelander Berroa and a Competitive Balance draft pick back to Chicago). The Sox’ acquisition of Santos from the Giants flew under the radar last offseason, but he’d pitched his way into the likely closer’s role on the South Side before being flipped to Seattle. Santos pitched 66 1/3 innings in 2023, posting a sharp 3.39 ERA with a 22.8% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate and 52.5% grounder rate while averaging 98.8 mph on his fastball. ERA alternatives like FIP (2.65) and SIERA (3.32) generally support his unexpected breakout as an impact reliever.

The team will presumably have updates on both relievers in the days ahead, but they’re critical cogs in manager Scott Servais’ setup corps. The Mariners have a strong bullpen and are generally adept at turning low-profile pickups into successful bullpen arms, but overcoming the loss of both pitchers would be a tall order.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, Brash and Santos aren’t the only ones banged up. Third baseman Luis Urias isn’t throwing for the time being after experiencing some shoulder inflammation while playing winter ball in his native Mexico this offseason (link via MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer). The team believes it’ll be a short-term issue, but there’s still no clear timetable as to when he’ll begin throwing.

Urias, 26, struggled to a dismal .199/.307/.299 slash in 177 plate appearances with the Brewers and Red Sox last year but slashed .244/.340/.426 in 1042 plate appearances with Milwaukee from 2021-22. He’s also a career .276/.353/.442 hitter against lefties. A healthy Urias would be a fine option in the short half of a platoon at either third base or second base, although the acquisition of Polanco at second base paints third base as the obvious place for the Urias/Rojas platoon.

If Urias misses any time or is at all delayed to start the season, Seattle could just stay in-house and give fellow righty-swinger Dylan Moore some platoon work at the hot corner. Moore hasn’t been as good against lefties as Urias, however, and putting him in that role would thin out the team’s bench depth, perhaps paving the way for Sam Haggerty or Samad Taylor to crack the roster. The M’s could also just go with Rojas on an everyday basis at third; he has near-identical splits throughout his career.

Kramer also notes that right-hander Cole Phillips, the 2022 second-rounder acquired from the Braves in the Jarred Kelenic deal, recently underwent his second Tommy John surgery. Phillips also underwent the procedure during his senior year of high school in 2022, just months before the draft. He’d been trending up as a potential first-round pick before blowing out his elbow in ’22 and has yet to throw a pitch in the pros while rehabbing that injury. Unfortunately, his debut will now be delayed even further. Phillips won’t turn 21 until May, so there’s plenty of time for him to get back on track and develop into a contributor for the Mariners, but a pair of Tommy John procedures prior to a pitcher’s 21st birthday is as ominous as it gets for a pitching prospect.

Mariners To Sign Brian Anderson, Trevor Kelley To Minor League Deals

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12:10pm: Anderson will make a salary of $2MM if he makes the team, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

10:30am: The Mariners have infielder/outfielder Brian Anderson and right-hander Trevor Kelley in camp and are signing them to minor league deals, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Anderson is repped by CAA Sports and Kelley by C.L. Rocks Corporation.

Anderson, 31 in May, was once a solid regular in the big leagues but is coming off three straight frustrating seasons, with injuries playing a role. He signed with the Brewers last year after being non-tendered by the Marlins. He got into 96 games for Milwaukee but hit just .226/.310/.368 for a wRC+ of 85. He also spent a few weeks on the injured list due to a lower back strain. The Brewers released him in October.

It was a fairly similar story when Anderson was with the Marlins in 2021 and 2022. He went on the IL due to oblique, shoulder and back issues and hit .233/.321/.359 for a 90 wRC+ over those two years, leading the Fish to cut him loose.

But he had a good three-year run prior to that. He got into 341 games for the Marlins over those three campaigns, one of which was shortened by the pandemic. He hit .266/.350/.436 in that time, drawing walks at a 9% clip while striking out at a reasonable rate of 21.8%. That production translated to a 115 wRC+, indicating he was 15% better than league average in that time. He also spent significant time at both third base and right field, in addition to brief looks at first and second base.

His defense has generally been graded well, as his work at the hot corner has produced two Defensive Runs Saved and three Outs Above Average. His right field work is more split as DRS has him at +8 and OAA at -10, but his arm strength is considered elite, with Statcast having him in 98th percentile of qualified players last year.

The M’s currently have some uncertainty at both third and the outfield corners. At the hot corner, they are set to have a platoon of Luis Urías and Josh Rojas, both of whom are coming off down years. In the outfield, they are set to have Julio Rodríguez and Mitch Haniger in two spots, with Luke Raley, Taylor Trammell, Cade Marlowe and Dominic Canzone in the mix for playing time as well.

Anderson will give them depth at both spots and perhaps a platoon role would be possible at first glance, though maybe not so much after digging deeper. He hits from the right side while each of Rojas, Raley, Trammell, Marlowe and Canzone are lefties. However, Anderson has reverse splits for his career, having hit .258/.344/.413 against righties for a 108 wRC+ but .231/.312/.375 against southpaws for a wRC+ of 89. Regardless of the eventual playing time fit, he bolsters the depth chart at two positions where Seattle has questions.

Kelley, 31, spent last year with the Rays but didn’t have much success. He posted a 5.87 earned run average in 15 1/3 innings at the big league level and a an ERA of 5.23 in Triple-A. He was outrighted off the roster in September. He’s now thrown 50 2/3 innings in the majors overall, also spending time with the Red Sox, Phillies and Brewers, but with a career ERA of 6.75.

Though he struggled in the minors last year, he has impressed on the farm before. Even with last year’s poor results, his Triple-A is 2.38 in 197 innings spanning five different seasons. He has struck out 24.4% of batters faced at that level while walking only 8.5%.

The Mariners have a pretty strong bullpen at the moment but injuries are inevitable in a long season. Kelley will be jockeying for a role alongside other experienced NRIs like Heath Hembree, Ty Buttrey, Kirby Snead and others. If he’s added to the roster at any point, he’s out of options.

Hollander: Mariners Additions Likely To Be “More On The Margins”

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Mariners general manager Justin Hollander met with reporters this afternoon to discuss the possibility of some late-offseason acquisitions. While Hollander — who is second in the Seattle front office hierarchy behind baseball operations president Jerry Dipoto — left the door ajar for anything, he indicated the likelier course of action was to supplement towards the back of the roster.

“You never know. I think this group of players that we have — our 40-man roster as is — we may add on the margins. We may add in a more significant way, but I would expect it’s probably more on the margins than a real significant way based on where we’re at,” Hollander said (link via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com).

The comments come a couple days after Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported that the M’s have had internal discussions about Matt Chapman, one of the top four unsigned free agents. Hollander didn’t comment on Chapman — the CBA limits what team personnel are allowed to say regarding specific players — but Kramer writes that the M’s conversations about the third baseman occurred earlier in the month.

There was never any indication that Seattle is deeply involved in Chapman’s market. Kramer reports that the M’s interest has been contingent on the four-time Gold Glover lowering his asking price significantly. According to Kramer, a nine-figure deal for Chapman would be a “non-starter” for Seattle. The MLB.com report indicates the Mariners would be amenable to a shorter-term/incentive-laden contract, although that unsurprisingly hasn’t been of interest to Chapman’s camp at the Boras Corporation.

Third base looks like a relative weak point for Seattle. The Mariners dealt Eugenio Suárez to the Diamondbacks at the beginning of the offseason. They brought in Luis Urías in a small trade with the Red Sox and indirectly addressed the hot corner with last month’s Jorge Polanco deal. Installing Polanco at second base pushes lefty-hitting Josh Rojas over to third, likely in a platoon with the right-handed Urías.

Urías enters camp at a little less than full strength. The Mariners reveled today that he is battling some soreness in his throwing shoulder coming out of winter ball (via Divish). It’s not a serious issue but will keep him from throwing across the diamond in infield drills early in Spring Training.

Hollander downplayed any concern about the third base platoon. Asked if the M’s felt they’re vulnerable at the position, he replied: “I don’t really feel that way, no. … We feel really good about what the combination of Josh and Luis can do for us this year.”

That’s the expected tone for a GM to strike publicly. That said, Chapman is the only unsigned third baseman who’d be a clear upgrade on the Rojas/Urías pairing. If Seattle is simply keeping tabs on his market in case the opportunity presents itself to jump in at a lower price, they’re presumably otherwise content with their in-house options.

Seattle has also been loosely tied to the top two remaining free agents, Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger. The link to Snell has primarily been about geography rather than team need. The defending NL Cy Young winner is a Seattle native and there has been some speculation he could prefer to stay on the West Coast after three seasons in San Diego.

Despite that chatter, Kramer writes that the Mariners haven’t shown much interest in Snell at any point during the winter. The M’s traded rehabbing starter Robbie Ray and depth arm Marco Gonzales but have held onto their top five starters: George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Former top 10 pick Emerson Hancock remains on hand as a high-upside depth piece.

Bellinger was arguably a better roster fit, but Kramer reports that Seattle hasn’t considered the former MVP in either of the past two offseasons. The M’s reacquired Mitch Haniger and brought in Luke Raley from Tampa Bay as part of a reshaped corner outfield. Seattle shipped out one-time top prospect Jarred Kelenic, leaving Haniger and Raley as the presumptive starters alongside Julio Rodríguez on the outfield grass.

Seattle has generally preferred the trade route over free agency under Dipoto, particularly with regards to position players. This offseason’s two-year, $24MM deal for Mitch Garver was the first multi-year free agent contract for a hitter that Seattle has given out in Dipoto’s tenure. Roster Resource projects the organization’s 2024 player spending in the $135MM range. That’s a middle-of-the-pack figure that’s right in line with last year’s approximate $137MM Opening Day sum.

Pirates Claim Canaan Smith-Njigba From Mariners

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The Pirates have claimed Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both clubs. The outfielder was designated for assignment by the M’s on the weekend. The Pirates placed right-hander JT Brubaker on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Smith-Njigba, 25 in April, returns to the Pirates after a brief uncoupling. He originally joined the club in the January 2021 trade that sent Jameson Taillon to the Yankees and was with the Bucs for about three years before being designated for assignment last month. He was claimed off waivers by the Mariners about two weeks ago, which briefly had him employed in the same city as his brother, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seahawks. But the Mariners bumped Canaan off the roster when they claimed Levi Stoudt over the weekend.

The Bucs needed Smith-Njigba’s roster spot a couple of weeks ago to add Aroldis Chapman. At the time, the 60-day IL had not yet opened, as clubs can’t use it between the end of the World Series and the time when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Now that they do have access to the 60-day IL, they were able to move Brubaker there and fit Smith-Njigba back onto the roster. Brubaker had Tommy John surgery in April of last year and it appears the club isn’t expecting him back soon. The “60 days” don’t start until Opening Day, so he won’t be eligible to return until late May.

If Smith-Njigba can stick on the Pirates’ roster this time, he’s likely to serve a depth role for the club this year. He’s hit just .135/.250/.243 in his 44 major league plate appearances thus far but still has an option remaining. He’s hit .279/.373/.452 in Triple-A over the past two years, leading to a 112 wRC+. He also stole 29 bases in those 157 games while playing all three outfield slots.

The Bucs are slated to have Bryan Reynolds in left and Jack Suwinski in center, but right field is a little bit more open. Players like Joshua Palacios, Edward Olivares, Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae are candidates to take some outfield playing time but Smith-Njigba will be in that mix as well, along with non-roster players like Billy McKinney and Gilberto Celestino. The designated hitter spot is likely to be taken by Andrew McCutchen on most days.

Mariners Have Discussed Signing Matt Chapman

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With Matt Chapman still available as we enter late February, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes that “the Mariners have discussed the possibility of” signing the free agent third baseman.  It isn’t clear if these discussions could be due-diligence explorations within the front office, or whether or not president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto might have reached out to Chapman’s camp about a potential contract.

Eugenio Suarez was seemingly locked in at Seattle’s third baseman when the offseason began, yet the M’s created a vacancy at the hot corner when Suarez was traded to the Diamondbacks in November.  Since Luis Urias was acquired in another trade with the Red Sox about a week before the Suarez deal, the initial expectation was that Urias could potentially take over for Suarez, yet that situation was further altered after another trade — last month’s swap with the Twins that brought Jorge Polanco to the Pacific Northwest.  With Polanco now established as the new every second baseman, third base looked to be covered by Urias and Josh Rojas in a platoon, with utilityman Dylan Moore also providing more depth.

Signing Chapman would deliver yet another shakeup to the infield picture, and push Rojas, Urias, and Moore firmly into backup roles unless any got some at-bats spelling Ty France at first base.  Since public defensive metrics haven’t traditionally been impressed by the glovework of France, Polanco, or shortstop J.P. Crawford, adding a multi-time Gold and Platinum Glove winner like Chapman would go a long way towards helping the Mariners’ run prevention.

There would also be an offensive upgrade, though not as much as one might imagine.  Since the start of the 2021 season, Chapman has posted a 110 wRC+ over 1824 plate appearances, while Urias has a 107 wRC+ in 1219 PA and Rojas a 99 wRC+ in 1410 PA.  Urias and Rojas both hit so poorly in 2023 that it obscures their very solid numbers in the previous two years, albeit in less playing time than Chapman received as a true everyday player with the A’s and Blue Jays.

That said, Chapman’s 2023 campaign was also a mixed bag at best at the plate.  He got off to a scorching start that won him the AL Player of the Month Award for April, but Chapman then hit only .205/.298/.361 over 467 PA from May 1 to the end of the regular season.  A finger injury particularly hampered Chapman over the last couple of months and he ended up with a 110 wRC+ (from 17 homers and a .240/.330/.424 slash line in 581 PA), yet this shaky platform year is quite likely the reason why Chapman has lingered so long on the open market.

Chapman is also a free swinger at the plate, which would seemingly run counter to the Mariners’ offseason goal of improving the lineup’s contact hitting.  Seattle’s 25.9% strikeout rate was the second highest of any team in baseball in 2023, yet Chapman has averaged a 29.9% strikeout rate since the start of the 2020 season.  Chapman has generally been able to offset his strikeouts by doing a lot of damage when he did make contact, and his barrel and hard-hit ball rates were among the best in the league last year, even if his bottom-line numbers didn’t reflect the quality of his contact.

Beyond the on-field questions, there is also the more practical matter of whether the Mariners can even meet Chapman’s contract demands.  It is possible Chapman and agent Scott Boras might have lowered or been willing to lower the asking price this deep into the offseason, yet if that is the case, other rumored suitors as the Giants or Cubs might still be in a better position than the M’s to take advantage, to say nothing or any other mystery teams.

The Mariners’ full purchase of the ROOT Sports Northwest regional sports network has put some added expenses onto the organization’s books, and seemingly limited what the front office has had available to spend this offseason.  Roster Resource projects Seattle for a $135MM payroll in 2024, and though Dipoto said that the Mariners were able to spend beyond their $140MM payroll from last season, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of wiggle room available.

Chapman would still require a hefty average annual value even on a shorter-term deal with opt-outs involved, and as mentioned earlier, another club might well be able to outbid Seattle within that kind of unique structure.  There is also the fact that Dipoto has traditionally been much more open to trades than pricey free agent signings as a roster-building strategy, as Robbie Ray’s five-year, $115MM contract from the 2021-22 offseason is far and away the biggest deal given to a free agent in Dipoto’s tenure.

As Divish notes, the Mariners have had interest in Chapman in the past, back when the A’s were shopping the third baseman as part of their wide-ranging fire sale after the 2021 season.  The Athletics reportedly wanted Noelvi Marte as part of any trade package involving Chapman, and the M’s instead held onto Marte only to eventually move him in the Luis Castillo deal at the 2022 deadline.

Mariners Claim Levi Stoudt, Designate Canaan Smith-Njigba

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Levi Stoudt has been claimed off waivers from the Reds.  To create 40-man roster space, Seattle designated outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba for assignment.

The move is a bit of a homecoming for Stoudt, who returns to the organization that made him a third-round pick in the 2019 draft.  Stoudt was one of the four prospects the Mariners dealt to the Reds at the 2022 trade deadline as part of the Luis Castillo blockbuster, and Stoudt’s time in Cincinnati saw the 26-year-old make his Major League debut.  Appearing in four games last season, Stoudt posted a 9.58 ERA in his first 10 1/3 innings of big league work.

Despite the achievement of making it to the Show, 2023 was a difficult season overall for Stoudt, who had a 6.23 ERA in 82 1/3 innings with Triple-A Louisville.  The righty was rocked for 20 homers over those 82 1/3 frames, and his 58 strikeouts only slightly exceeded his 50 walks.  Stoudt has a decent fastball that averaged 94.4mph in his abbreviated MLB tenure but his strikeout rates have been decreasing over his three pro seasons while his control has always been somewhat inconsistent.

This was enough to make the Reds feel Stoudt was an expendable piece, as Cincinnati designated the righty earlier this week.  A return to the Mariners might help Stoudt get on track, and the M’s will get a chance to more closely evaluate him during Spring Training.  If Stoudt can stabilize his performance, he can act as a big league-ready depth arm to be called upon at Triple-A, should the Mariners be in need of a spot starter or long reliever to eat some innings.

Smith-Njigba’s time in Seattle might not last long, as the Mariners only claimed him off waivers from the Pirates 10 days ago.  Like Stoudt, the 24-year-outfielder also has a pretty brief MLB resume, posting a .493 OPS over 44 plate appearances with Pittsburgh over the last two seasons.  His numbers at the Triple-A level have been a lot more impressive, as Smith-Njigba has hit .273/.366/.439 in 686 PA with the Pirates’ top affiliate since the start of the 2021 campaign.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Smith-Njigba change teams again via waiver claim, if another club is intrigued by this Triple-A protection and the outfielder’s set of tools, even if Smith-Njigba has yet to really manifest his potential.  Baseball America ranked him as the 28th-best prospect in the Mariners’ farm system, with concerns about a “lack of speed or defensive value,” but Smith-Njigba has power potential and an “above-average approach and a good balance of aggression and patience.”

Marlins Acquire Darren McCaughan, Designate Peyton Burdick

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The Marlins are acquiring right-hander Darren McCaughan from the Mariners for cash considerations, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (X link). Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports (on X) that outfielder Peyton Burdick is being designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

McCaughan had been designated for assignment on Wednesday when Seattle claimed outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Pirates. While the transaction log at MLB.com suggested that he’d been outrighted to Triple-A, MLBTR has confirmed that Seattle had not placed him on waivers and he remained in DFA limbo until tonight’s trade.

The Long Beach State product, who turns 28 next month, saw very brief MLB action with Seattle in 2021 and ’23. He has allowed 13 runs in 14 big league innings. McCaughan has spent most of the last three years working as rotation depth at Triple-A Tacoma. He started 25 games there a season ago, pitching to a 5.83 ERA across 139 innings. His 21.2% strikeout percentage was a little below average, but he kept his walks to a modest 7.2% clip.

A 12th-round pick in the 2017 draft, McCaughan has pitched parts of five campaigns at the Triple-A level. He has allowed 5.22 earned runs per nine in 460 1/3 innings with similar strikeout and walk numbers to last year’s marks. He’ll serve as rotation or multi-inning relief depth for the Fish. McCaughan still has a minor league option remaining, so Miami can keep him with their top farm team in Jacksonville for another year.

Adding some pitching depth squeezes out Burdick, whom the Marlins drafted in the third round in 2019. The Wright State product hit very well up through the Double-A level to emerge as one of the more interesting position player prospects in the Miami system. His offense has plateaued in Triple-A, though, and he hasn’t gotten much of a look in the majors. Burdick appeared in 46 big league games between 2022-23, hitting .200/.281/.368 while striking out 53 times in 139 plate appearances (a 38.1% clip).

The hit tool is the biggest question with Burdick, who possesses solid raw power upside. He hit 24 homers in 492 plate appearances with Jacksonville a year ago. Yet he also struck out almost 37% of the time, indicating that his pure contact skills remain a serious issue. His .219/.327/.448 Triple-A batting line was a little worse than league average.

Burdick has some experience in center field but is better suited for a corner outfield position. That puts a lot of pressure on his bat. He still has a pair of options remaining, so another team could keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future if they want to roll the dice on his power potential. Miami has a week to trade Burdick or put him on waivers.

Mariners Sign Casey Lawrence, Sean Poppen To Minor League Deals

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The Mariners announced their non-roster invitees to Spring Training this evening. A trio of players with MLB experience have joined the organization on deals not previously covered at MLBTR: right-handers Casey Lawrence and Sean Poppen and catcher/first baseman Michael Papierski.

Lawrence is a familiar face for Seattle fans. The righty has logged multiple stints in the organization as a swingman. He made 34 appearances as a Mariner between 2017-18, accounting for a little over half his big league experience. The 36-year-old has also pitched for the Blue Jays and Cardinals, logging 15 appearances in St. Louis a year ago.

In 27 1/3 innings of mostly low-leverage relief for the Cards, Lawrence posted a 6.59 ERA. He struck out a below-average 16.4% of opponents while averaging 90 MPH on his fastball. Lawrence had better results working as rotation depth in Triple-A. He started 21 games at the top minor league level, allowing 4.76 earned runs per nine through 104 innings. Lawrence fanned just under 20% of opponents while limiting his walks to a 6.8% clip.

Poppen, 30 in March, is a pure reliever. He compiled a 5.08 ERA in 63 appearances divided with four teams between 2019-22. The Harvard product spent last year at Triple-A with the Padres. He struggled with the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting, allowing a 6.33 ERA through 58 1/3 frames. Poppen had a subpar 17.6% strikeout percentage against a slightly elevated 10.3% walk rate. He has shown better swing-and-miss potential at the MLB level, where he owns a serviceable 22.3% strikeout rate for his career.

Papierski is a right-handed hitting backstop who had a brief MLB look with the Giants and Reds two seasons ago. He played the ’23 campaign in Triple-A as a member of the Tigers. Papierski had a solid offensive performance, hitting .266/.370/.422 with eight homers in 77 contests. He walked at a strong 13.8% clip across 305 plate appearances.

Seattle also said that right-hander Darren McCaughan is in camp as a non-roster player. According to his transactions log at MLB.com, he went unclaimed on outright waivers. The M’s announced that he was designated for assignment this afternoon as the corresponding move for their waiver claim of outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba. They’d apparently placed McCaughan on waivers before officially revealing his DFA. While the 6’1″ hurler had the right to elect free agency, it seems he decided to stick in the organization with the understanding he’d get a look in MLB camp.

Mariners Claim Canaan Smith-Njigba, Designate Darren McCaughan

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The Mariners announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Pirates. Right-hander Darren McCaughan was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. At least for the time being Smith-Njigba will head to the same city as his younger brother, Jaxon — a wide receiver for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Now 24 years old, Smith-Njigba was one of four players the Yankees traded to Pittsburgh in the trade that brought righty Jameson Taillon to the Bronx. He’s posted nice minor league numbers but seen minimal time in the big leagues. Through 44 MLB plate appearances, Smith-Njigba is a .135/.250/.243 hitter, but he’s posted a .273/.366/.439 slash in parts of three Triple-A campaigns. That includes a 2023 season that saw him slash .280/.366/.473 (110 wRC+) with 15 homers, 28 doubles, a triple and a 21-for-26 showing in stolen base attempts. Smith-Njigba also walked at a strong 11.9% clip with Indy this past season, but his 26.5% strikeout rate could stand to improve.

Smith-Njigba has drawn praise for above-average raw power and speed in the past, though that raw power hasn’t translated to much in the way of home runs. Last year’s 15 round-trippers were a career-high, and he’s only reached double digits in homers in one other season. Smith-Njigba’s strong walk rates and left-handed bat will help the Mariners to replace some of the outfield depth they lost when trading Zach DeLoach to the White Sox and Jarred Kelenic to the Braves. He has a minor league option remaining and has hit reasonably well at virtually every minor league level, evidenced by a career .277/.382/.429 slash in six professional seasons.

McCaughan, 28 next month, has spent his entire career in the Mariners organization since being taken in the 12th round of the 2017 draft. He’s twice received a call to the big leagues but has just 14 MLB frames under his belt, during which he’s been slammed for 11 earned runs. The right-hander posted respectable Triple-A numbers in a hitter-friendly league environment during the 2021-22 seasons but was roughed up for a 5.83 ERA in 139 Triple-A frames in 2023. Overall, he carries a career 5.22 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Mariners’ Tacoma affiliate, though his aforementioned ’21 (4.46 ERA, 121 innings) and ’22 (4.55 ERA, 154 innings) performances were a far sight better.

The Mariners will have a week to trade McCaughan or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He still has a minor league option remaining. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment by virtue of a previous outright earlier in his career, but his longstanding tenure in the Mariners organization could make him likelier to accept if things reach that point.

Mariners Claim Collin Snider From Diamondbacks

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The Mariners have claimed right-hander Collin Snider off waivers from the Diamondbacks, per announcements from both clubs. The latter had designated him for assignment last week. The Mariners’ 40-man roster is now full with this move.

Snider, 28, spent his entire career with the Royals until recently. Drafted in 2018, he appeared in 62 major league games over the two most recent seasons. He tossed a combined 54 2/3 innings while allowing 5.93 earned runs per nine. His rate stats weren’t especially impressive, striking out just 13.4% of hitters while giving out walks at an 11.4% clip, though he did get grounders on 51.9% of balls in play.

In the minors, his results have been somewhat similar. He’s thrown 64 1/3 innings at Triple-A over the past two years with a 5.74 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate, 15.7% walk rate and grounders on more than half of the balls in play.

He was put on waivers in December with the Diamondbacks making a claim, though he was nudged off the roster with the Snakes signed Joc Pederson and needed a roster spot. The Mariners recently freed up a spot on their 40-man roster when they traded Prelander Berroa, Zach DeLoach and a draft pick to the White Sox for Gregory Santos.

They’ll use that open slot to take a flier on Snider, who still has one option and can be stashed in the minors until needed. He has mid-90s velocity on both his four-seamer and sinker, even if he hasn’t yet parlayed those into many strikeouts. He has got plenty of ground balls and he did well at limiting hard contact in the big leagues last year. The Mariners could have him as Triple-A depth to see if he takes a step forward, or perhaps try to pass him through waivers at a future date.

The M’s have Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash and Santos likely taking their high-leverage bullpen jobs. Trent Thornton, Austin Voth and Mauricio Llovera are each out of options, which could help them in securing jobs to start the season. Beyond that, Snider joins a group of optionable relievers that includes Gabe Speier, Tayler Saucedo, Jackson Kowar, Ty Adcock, Carlos Vargas, Eduard Bazardo and Cody Bolton. Some of those guys may earn jobs out of camp but there will likely be a lot of fluctuation throughout the campaign.

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