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Mariners Place Brandon Brennan On 45-Day Injured List

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The Mariners announced yesterday they have placed reliever Brandon Brennan on the 45-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The right-hander got into one game before the injury.

Brennan stuck with Seattle as a Rule V pick out of the Rockies organization last season. While he only managed a 4.56 ERA in 47.1 innings as a rookie, he also showed some intriguing swing-and-miss stuff. Brennan’s 15.1% swinging strike rate dwarfed the 11.1% league average and had positioned him as a likely key piece in a shaky Seattle bullpen.

Instead, he’ll be out for an extended period of time. The Mariners didn’t immediately make a 40-man roster addition, suggesting they simply had no expectation Brennan would be in position to return anytime soon.

Predict The AL West Division Winner

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With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway, it’s time to make some predictions. We’re polling the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — though plenty more teams will crack the postseason under the rather inclusive new playoff qualification system. We’ve already surveyed the AL East, AL Central, NL Central, and NL East landscapes, and now we’ll turn to the American League West.

The Astros entered this season off three straight division titles, though they’ve undergone some major changes since winning the AL pennant in 2019. A sign-stealing scandal cost them general manager Jeff Luhnow and skipper A.J. Hinch, whom they replaced with James Click and Dusty Baker, respectively. On the field, they said goodbye to co-ace Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley in free agency. Their rotation suffered yet another massive blow this week when they placed reigning AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander on the injured list with a forearm strain. He’s one of many injured Astros pitchers, and to make matters worse, the club has been without slugger and 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez because of the coronavirus.

Despite all the issues they’re facing, the Astros at least still boast an above-average roster. They don’t look like a juggernaut in their current state, though, and that could give a division rival a chance to pounce.

The Athletics, winners of 97 games in each of the prior two seasons, boast an eminently talented roster that seems as if it’ll present the greatest challenge for Houston. The Rangers and Angels look more like wild-card possibilities than teams capable of upending the Astros, though a 60-game season could make it more likely for either to pull off an upset. Probably not the case for the Mariners, who are retooling and have gotten to a 1-4 start. While five games isn’t enough of a sample size to bury or crown anyone, the M’s have gotten crushed in three of their defeats and entered Wednesday with the majors’ worst run differential at minus-21.

Which team do you think is going to take the division title? (Poll link for app users.)

Mariners Select Joe Odom

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The Mariners announced that they have selected catcher Joseph Odom’s contract and sent left-hander Taylor Guilbeau to their alternate training site. Guilbeau will remain a part of their taxi squad.

The Odom addition gives the Mariners a full 40-man roster, and it could put the 28-year-old in position to make his major league debut. Odom entered the pro ranks as a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2013, but they lost him to the Mariners a few years later in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. He has little experience at the Triple-A level, though, and generally hasn’t produced much as a hitter in minor league ball. Through 1,668 plate appearances – including 100 in Triple-A – Odom has batted .239/.305/.366 with 34 home runs.

Now that he’s on his way to Seattle, Odom will give the team another backstop option alongside Austin Nola and Joe Hudson (though the M’s scratched Nola from their lineup Tuesday for an unknown reason). The Mariners have been without starting catcher Tom Murphy so far this year because of a broken bone in his foot.

Mariners Select Jose Marmolejos, Joe Hudson, Anthony Misiewicz

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The Mariners will have a few more new faces on their roster in 2020 in outfielder Jose Marmolejos, catcher Joe Hudson and left-hander Anthony Misiewicz when their season begins Friday. The team added all three to their 40-man roster on Thursday.

Marmolejos, whom the Mariners signed to a minor league contract during the offseason, had been with the Nationals since 2011. The 27-year-old regularly posted above-average production with Washington’s minor league affiliates, including during 2019 when he hit .315/.366/.545 with 16 home runs in 382 plate appearances in Triple-A. Marmolejos hasn’t played in the majors yet, but he might get a legitimate chance to prove himself with the Mariners, who are missing their best outfielder – the injured Mitch Haniger. Marmolejos, Kyle Lewis and Mallex Smith may comprise their season-opening outfield.

The Mariners will also see what they have in Hudson, a 29-year-old whom they signed to a minors deal last winter. Hudson totaled just 13 PA with the Angels and Cardinals in the majors from 2018-19, though he has posted a useful .734 OPS in 383 PA at the Triple-A level. Hudson will back up Austin Nola in Seattle, which will open 2020 without starting catcher Tom Murphy because of a fractured metatarsal in his left foot.

Misiewicz, 25, is in his second Mariners stint. The M’s chose Mislewicz in Round 18 of the 2015 draft, traded him to Tampa Bay in 2017 and then re-acquired him from the Rays later that year. He divided last season between Double-A and Triple-A and notched a 4.59 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 131 1/3 innings.

Mariners Sign Bryan Shaw, Place Tom Murphy On Injured List

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The Mariners announced this morning that they’ve signed veteran right-hander Bryan Shaw to a Major League deal. It was reported earlier this week that Shaw, who was recently released by the Rockies, was expected to sign in Seattle. He’ll go right onto the 30-man roster for the Mariners. Seattle also placed catcher Tom Murphy on the 10-day IL with a fractured metatarsal in his left foot and added catcher Joe Odom to the 60-man player pool.

Shaw, 32, was an absolute workhorse out of the Indians’ bullpen for the better part of a decade but struggled immediately upon joining the Rockies on a three-year deal prior to the 2018 season. He’s earning $9MM on that pact, but the Mariners will only be responsible for the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the roster. The Rockies are on the hook for the rest.

Over the past two seasons in Colorado, Shaw has been hammered for a 5.61 ERA as his HR/9 rate more than doubled from his Cleveland days. It might be easy to assume that’s attributable to Coors Field and Denver’s altitude, but Shaw wasn’t demonstrably better on the road as a Rockie than he was at home; in fact, he pitched much better at Coors Field in 2019 than he did away from Colorado.

That said, prior to his ugly tenure with the Rox, Shaw was a prominent setup man who’d rattled off a a 3.13 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 446 1/3 MLB frames between the D-backs and Indians. With a track record like that and plenty of uncertainty in the Seattle ’pen, it’s not hard to see why Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto felt it worth taking a look. Shaw could have some high-leverage work early in the year even, particularly with Austin Adams opening the year on the injured list.

As for Murphy, it’s a tough blow for the former Rockies top prospect who enjoyed a breakout with the Mariners in 2019. He’d been expected to begin the year as the team’s starting catcher — his first-ever Opening Day as a primary backstop — but that role will now go to Austin Nola. The converted infielder turned heads in the upper minors with the Marlins after his position change and eventually broke through in the big leagues last year with a .269/.342/.454 showing in 79 games as a 29-year-old rookie.

Latest On Mariners’ Roster

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9:24pm: Dipoto announced that Murphy has a broken bone in his foot, Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports reports. The team’s optimistic it won’t take long for Murphy to heal, but he’ll start the season on the injured list.

7:15pm: The Mariners are in the process of finalizing their 30-man roster for their season opener, but it appears they’ll begin without a couple notable players, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3).

Reliever Austin Adams won’t be available when the Mariners’ season kicks off Friday, as he’s still working back from the right knee surgery he underwent last September. Meanwhile, catcher Tom Murphy is battling a left ankle problem that hasn’t responded well to treatment, and the Mariners won’t know until Thursday morning whether he or reliever Bryan Shaw (whom they agreed to sign this week) will be immediately available. As Divish writes, Shaw has to pass coronavirus intake requirements before he’s able to join the team.

Both Adams and Murphy proved to be worthwhile scrapheap pickups for the Mariners last year. The club landed the right-handed Adams in a minor trade with the Nationals, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in April, it paid dividends. In his first season in Seattle, Adams posted a 3.77 ERA/2.96 FIP with 14.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 31 innings.

Murphy, acquired from the Giants heading into last season, also emerged as a shrewd addition, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco noted this past spring. He slashed an impressive .273/.324/.535 with 18 home runs and 3.2 fWAR in just 76 games and 281 plate appearances while backing up Omar Narvaez. Now that Narvaez is a member of the Brewers, Murphy’s in line to get the lion’s share of playing time at catcher, but that will obviously depend on his health.

If Murphy’s unable to start the season, the Mariners are likely to turn to Austin Nola and Joe Hudson behind the plate, but Divish reports that general manager Jerry Dipoto is keeping an eye on the free-agent and waiver markets for outside help. Russell Martin is easily the best free-agent backstop available, but there’s no word on whether the M’s are interested in him or if the 37-year-old wants to play this season.

Mariners Reportedly Expected To Sign Bryan Shaw

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The Mariners are evidently closing in on a veteran bullpen addition. Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter), the Seattle club is expected to land recently released reliever Bryan Shaw. Contract details aren’t yet known.

Shaw, 32, was cut loose a few days ago by the Rockies, who’ll continue to owe him for the pro-rated portion of his $9MM salary along with a $2MM buyout in advance of the 2021 campaign. The Mariners would only be on the hook for the league-minimum rate if Shaw is able to crack the active roster.

After a long run of success with the Indians, Shaw struggled mightily over two seasons with the Rockies. It wasn’t just a matter of pitching at altitude, as he was actually better at Coors Field last year. Shaw dealt with a notable velocity drop-off and rise in the frequency of hard contact against him.

The M’s will undertake a bit of a reclamation effort, perhaps banking on the fact that Shaw still generates 80th percentile spin with his cut fastball. If he shows well at the team’s satellite location, there ought to be plenty of opportunity in a bullpen that’s short on sure things.

Yoshihisa Hirano Cleared To Join Mariners’ Camp

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TODAY: Hirano is still on the injured list but he has been cleared to join the Mariners’ Summer Camp.  As per the Japan Times and other outlets, Hirano revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19, and was kept from training for almost two weeks while battling virus symptoms.

JULY 14: The Mariners announced that they have placed right-handed reliever Yoshihisa Hirano on the injured list. The club didn’t provide a reason for Hirano’s IL placement, but Greg Johns of MLB.com notes that he’s the only Mariner who hasn’t been cleared to report to Summer Camp.

Hirano joined the Mariners as one of their most notable acquisitions during the winter, when the team handed the former Diamondback a one-year, $1.6MM contract in free agency. If healthy, he’s an obvious candidate to rack up a substantial number of innings in a bullpen that’s light on proven options and just lost righty Gerson Bautista to a flexor strain.

Hirano, 36, is a two-year major league veteran who emigrated from his homeland of Japan after a dominant run there. While last season didn’t go nearly as well for Hirano as his initial campaign did, he has overall been a respectable late-game option in the bigs. Across 119 1/3 innings in Arizona, Hirano recorded a 3.47 ERA/3.85 FIP with 9.05 K/9, 3.39 BB/9, a 47.7 percent groundball rate and 47 holds.

Health Notes: Mallex, Chirinos, Lourdes, Lowrie, Smith

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Some health updates from around the league with the regular season just four days away:

  • Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith made his Summer Camp debut Saturday, notes Greg Johns of MLB.com. The speedster had not been previously been available for undisclosed reasons. Nevertheless, manager Scott Servais says he’s “pretty confident” Smith will be ready to go for the season opener, per Johns. This could be something of a make-or-break year for Smith, who fell flat in his first season in Seattle. He figures to take the bulk of the center field playing time, presumably flanked most days by Kyle Lewis and Jake Fraley.
  • Rays right-hander Yonny Chirinos made his first Summer Camp appearance today, per various reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Chirinos confirmed he’d tested positive for COVID-19 last month, experiencing mild symptoms, adds Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Fortunately, he’s now feeling better, and apparently cleared all MLB protocols for a return. The 24-year-old expressed an expectation he’ll be ready for Opening Day (via Toribio). Given the lack of ramp-up time, Chirinos’ innings will certainly be closely monitored in the early going. Nevertheless, it’s encouraging the 26-year-old is healthy again and in the process of getting back up to speed.
  • Blue Jays left fielder Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. was held out of activities yesterday with left side discomfort, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was among those to relay. It doesn’t seem there’s huge cause for concern at the moment, but even a brief absence would threaten his availability for Opening Day. Gurriel repeating his strong 2019 effort (.277/.327/.541 with 20 home runs in 343 plate appearances) would go a long way if the Jays are to make a surprising push for the postseason in the shortened campaign.
  • Mets infielder Jed Lowrie continues to be plagued by left leg issues, notes Tim Healey of Newsday. He won’t participate in today’s Summer Camp matchup with the Yankees. As Mike Puma of the New York Post points out, that doesn’t bode particularly well for Lowrie’s chances of being ready for Opening Day. It’s the latest setback for the well-respected veteran in a Mets’ tenure unfortunately marred by them. Injuries held Lowrie to just eight plate appearances in the first season of a two-year, $20MM deal.
  • Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith, Jr. was cleared to participate in camp Friday. The 27-year-old acknowledged that a positive COVID-19 test was the reason he’d been delayed, per Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball. Fortunately, he’s obviously now managed to clear the protocols for a return and hopes to be ready for Opening Day. Smith hit just .241/.297/.412 (83 wRC+) with 13 home runs in 392 plate appearances last season.

Julio Rodriguez Suffers Wrist Fracture

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July 18: Divish reports that while Rodriguez’s wrist fracture will not require surgery, it will prevent him from participating in baseball activities for the next four-to-six weeks. So while the Mariners’ phenom will be unable to get reps in a Major League setting, the M’s are hoping that Rodriguez will get some at-bats in the Dominican Winter League, which gets underway in October.

July 16: Exciting Mariners prospect Julio Rodriguez is going to spend some time on the mend. He has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left wrist, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to report on Twitter.

Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the twenty (or better) top prospects in all of baseball. The 19-year-old was invited to participate in Seattle’s 60-man player pool even though he has yet to appear in the upper minors.

The M’s had hoped to allow Rodriguez and other elite prospects to gain exposure to upper-level talent and get reps in the absence of a minor-league season. That’s all out the window now for Rodriguez, at least until he’s able to heal up.

There’s not a ton of time left for Rodriguez to get back to full speed and return to the fold, limiting his development opportunities this year. Fortunately, the Mariners won’t have to alter their MLB plans, as Rodriguez didn’t factor in the picture this year.

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