Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mariners Rumors

Mariners, Guillo Zuñiga Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Guillo Zuñiga, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The former Cardinals and Angels reliever had been with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was granted his release earlier in the week.

Zuñiga, 26, has pitched in the majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 19 2/3 frames between St. Louis and Anaheim. He’s allowed 11 earned runs (5.03 ERA) on 16 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts. The big 6’5″, 230-pound righty has posted similar numbers in Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025, logging a 5.14 ERA, a 23.5% strikeout rate and a 10.9% walk rate in 42 innings of relief.

While Zuñiga has yet to find much success in the majors or even in Triple-A, he still has plenty of appealing traits. He’s averaging 96.9 mph on his four-seamer this season in Triple-A and is sporting a 12.3% swinging-strike rate that’s north of the major league average. He’s not inducing enough chases off the plate, but opponents have made contact at a well below average 73.7% clip overall — including a weak 79.5% on pitches within the strike zone.

Opponents also had a hard time making high-impact contact against Zuñiga, evidenced by a tepid 87.7 mph average exit velocity and 32.5% hard-hit rate. This year’s 46.9% grounder rate is a strong mark that’s notably higher than his recent seasons in the upper minors, perhaps due to throwing fewer fastballs and ramping up the usage of his slider and changeup.

The Mariners already have a strong back end of the bullpen. Closer Andrés Muñoz (1.69 ERA) and setup men Matt Brash (1.86), Gabe Speier (2.39), Eduard Bazardo (2.65) and Carlos Vargas (3.66) have all posted strong run-prevention numbers on the season. The other few spots in the ’pen are a bit in flux, however. Caleb Ferguson has struggled since coming over from the Pirates at the trade deadline. Tayler Saucedo has given up 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings this season. Starter-turned-reliever Emerson Hancock and veteran Luke Jackson were added to the mix when rosters expanded Monday.

Zuñiga won’t necessarily get a look in the majors, but if he impresses in his first few looks over in Tacoma, it’s feasible that he could pitch his way into a big league audition. He didn’t sign with the Mariners until Sept. 2, so he won’t be postseason-eligible even if he does push his way to the big leagues, but he’s a hard-throwing 26-year-old with a minor league option remaining and six additional seasons of club control, so he’s a sensible enough flier — especially for a team with a long track record of converting bargain-bin relief pickups into quality members of the major league bullpen.

Poll: Will Anyone Get To 60 Home Runs This Year?

By | at

It’s been a great year for power hitters in MLB, as five different players slugged their 40th home run of the season before the end of August. It’s not often that so many hitters enter September with a realistic shot at the lofty threshold of 60 home runs in a season. It’s a feat that’s only been accomplished nine times, and the combination of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire account for five of those nine 60-homer seasons. Of course, it’s an incredibly rare feat for a reason, and many promising campaigns fall short in the season’s final month. 12 seasons with between 56 and 59 home runs have been logged throughout MLB history, after all.

Will this year’s biggest power threats join that club of also-ran seasons, or will we see the tenth 60-homer season in MLB history come to fruition this year? Here’s a look at each of the top home run hitters from this season and their chances of reaching that illustrious 60-homer plateau, in order of their current home run totals for 2025:

Cal Raleigh

While everyone else on this list hit their 40th homer of the season in August, Raleigh’s 40th home run was actually slugged on July 26. The Mariners’ catcher has had a historic season this year, setting the all-time single season home run record for a catcher while sitting just four behind Mickey Mantle for the all-time single season record for home runs by a switch hitter. With 50 homers tallied so far this year, it’s hard not to see why Raleigh could have a very real shot at hitting 60 home runs this season. He’s hit at least ten homers in three of the season’s five months so far, and has never hit less than eight in a month this year. With that being said, it’s also worth noting that Raleigh has slowed down a bit in the second half of the season. In 40 games since the All-Star break, Raleigh has posted just a 112 wRC+ with 12 home runs. With just 25 games left to play on the Mariners’ schedule, he’ll need to pick up the pace if he’s going to reach 60 homers this year.

Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber is just one homer back of Raleigh in the race for the MLB home run lead after an incredible four-home run performance on August 28. Schwarber has long been one of the game’s premiere power threats and, like Raleigh, has hit at least 10 homers in three of this season’s five months so far. He’ll need to hit 11 in 25 September games in order to reach 60 homers, but one thing working in his favor is that he’s saved most of his power for the second half this year. He’s hit 12 home runs in both July and August, so if he can put up just one more month like the last two, he’ll get there. Of course, a player slugging .655 over his past 52 games also runs the risk of getting pitched around, which could damage Schwarber’s chances of making it to 60. One thing that could work in Schwarber’s favor is his home ballpark, as Statcast considers Citizens Bank Park to be the fifth-most homer friendly stadium in the majors this year.

Shohei Ohtani

With three MVP awards in the past four years, no one should put anything past baseball’s two-way superstar. Ohtani became the first player to go 50-50 last season, and with 54 homers tied with Mantle (and seven other seasons) at 22nd on the single-season home run leaderboard. With 45 home runs headed into September, he has an outside shot at not only breaking that personal record, but getting a coveted 60-homer season. 15 home runs in a single month is a tall order for any player, but Ohtani did exactly that back in May when he crushed 15 long balls in 27 games. The Dodgers have two fewer games than that in September, but Ohtani will benefit from playing his home games at Dodger Stadium, which is far and away the most homer-friendly ballpark in the majors this year per Statcast.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge hit his 43rd home run of the season yesterday, and that makes it a tall order for him to reach 60 homers this season. With that being said, onlookers around the game should know better than to doubt the hulking slugger’s offensive abilities at this point, with MVP wins in two of the last three seasons and a completely absurd 202 wRC+ since the start of the 2022 season. Judge is also, of course, the only active player who’s already a member of the 60 home run club after bashing 62 long balls to take the AL home run record from Roger Maris during his 2022 AL MVP campaign. Judge finished just short with 58 home runs last year, but perhaps this year will be different. In order to reach 60 on the season, Judge will need to make a different kind of history: as noted by Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com last year, the record for home runs hit in September (and October, in seasons where it hosts regular season games) belongs jointly to Albert Belle and Babe Ruth. Judge would need to at least tie that duo’s 17 homers in the final month of the year in order to crack 60 long balls this year.

What do MLBTR readers think? Will the league enjoy a 60-homer campaign for the second time in four years this season? And if so, who is most likely to pull it off? Have your say in the polls below:

Mariners Promote Harry Ford, Release Donovan Solano

By | at

With rosters expanding from 26 to 28 today, the Mariners announced that they have selected catcher Harry Ford and right-hander Luke Jackson. They also recalled infielder Leo Rivas. In corresponding moves, they designated right-hander Sauryn Lao for assignment and released infielder Donovan Solano.

Ford, 22, is widely considered one of the top catching prospects — and top 100 overall prospects — in the industry. The former first-rounder has spent the whole season in Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s done nothing to dissuade that line of thinking. In his first 97 games and 458 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, Ford has turned in a terrific .283/.408/.460 batting line (125 wRC+). He’s homered 16 times, swiped seven bags and walked nearly as often (16.2%) as he’s struck out (19.2%).

There are natural questions about Ford’s long-term fit on a roster that also includes 2025 AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh. The Mariners’ franchise catcher signed a six-year extension last offseason and has obviously substantially elevated his profile since putting pen to paper on that contract. The M’s could roster both catchers and rotate them between the catching and designated hitter spot. Having two catchers with that type of offensive potential would be a clear advantage, though there’ll likely be plenty of offseason attempts to pry Ford from the Mariners’ grasp. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is never one to shy away from bold trades, so he’ll presumably at least consider dealing from strength, if it addresses other areas of need.

For the time being, however, Ford will get his feet wet and bolster the Mariners’ catching depth while they chase down what looks like a very, very likely playoff berth. The Mariners currently trail the Astros by two games in the American League West but have a 2.5-game lead over the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot. Both the Houston and Texas rosters have recently been hit with several key injuries, while Seattle has remained generally healthy and also added some key lineup upgrades at the July trade deadline (Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, most notably).

Jackson, 34, has spent the bulk of the season with the Rangers but also tossed 4 2/3 innings for the Tigers. He’s pitched to a 4.54 ERA in 39 2/3 innings overall. Once a key member of the Atlanta bullpen, Jackson was a rock in manager Brian Snitker’s 2021 bullpen as the Braves won the World Series. He tossed 63 2/3 innings with a 1.98 ERA, 26.8% strikeout rate, 11% walk rate and 31 holds. His elbow gave way the following spring, however, and Jackson missed all of 2022 following Tommy John surgery.

In three years since returning from surgery, Jackson’s results haven’t matched his pre-injury levels. He’s logged a combined 126 innings of 4.36 ERA ball. His strikeout rate is down to 23.6% in that time (and just 16.1% this year), while his walk rate climbed to nearly 12% (13.8% in 2025). Jackson’s average fastball is also down more than a mile per hour from his pre-surgery form.

Even with those red flags, he’ll get a look in the Seattle bullpen down the stretch. Jackson has plenty of experience in postseason races and high-leverage settings. That experience and his overall track record could prove beneficial for the M’s if he can get his command back on track. Jackson isn’t going to be thrust into ultra high-leverage spots anyhow, so he really only needs to function as a serviceable middle reliever.

Solano signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal over the winter. He had a dreadful start but heated up in the summer. However, Solano was signed due to his typically strong production against lefties — but struggled uncharacteristically versus southpaws (.181/.212/.245). He hit .348/.403/.478 in 77 plate appearances versus righties, but that was buoyed by a .407 BABIP he’s not likely to sustain. And, with the addition of Naylor as an everyday option at first base, the need for a short-side platoon bat at first base (who was unexpectedly struggling versus the lefties he was signed to help with) apparently ran out.

Lao, 26, made his big league debut this season but has only pitched 3 1/3 innings in the majors. He’s been tagged for three runs with a 4-to-1 K/BB ratio in that short sample. The rest of his season has been spent in Tacoma, where he’s pitched to a 3.13 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 69 innings of relief.

Lao, a former Dodger farmhand who signed as a minor league free agent last offseason, has averaged 93.5 mph on his four-seamer and 92.9 mph on his sinker in Triple-A. He’s also mixed in a mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup. He has multiple minor league option years remaining and will now hit the waiver wire, where he’ll be made available to all 29 other clubs.

Nick Anderson Elects Free Agency, Reaches Deal With Mariners

By | at

11:38am: Anderson is joining Seattle on a minor league deal, as noted by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.

7:58am: Right-hander Nick Anderson has reached a deal with the Mariners, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It’s a somewhat unusual situation, as Anderson had been on the Rockies’ 40-man roster and pitched in an MLB game as recently as August 27. According to the transactions log on Anderson’s MLB.com profile page, the Rockies optioned Anderson to Triple-A on August 29 and he elected free agency just yesterday. Anderson has enough service time that he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so his departure from the organization might be related to Colorado’s decision to option him earlier this week.

In any case, Anderson now appears to be headed to the Mariners. It’s unclear is his agreement with Seattle is a major or minor league deal, but the Mariners would need to clear a 40-man roster spot to accommodate Anderson if he’s to be added to the roster. The 35-year-old hurler made 12 appearances for the Rockies this season and pitched to an ugly 6.14 ERA, but the vast majority of the damage against him came in a five-run debut outing on July 26. In 11 appearances during the month of August, Anderson posted a more respectable 3.29 ERA, albeit with a 4.95 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 19.2%.

That’s a far cry from what Anderson looked like at his peak effectiveness. The right-hander made his big league debut as a member of the Marlins in 2019 but was traded to the Rays by the end of the year. He was utterly dominant for Tampa in parts of three seasons from 2019 to 2021 with a 1.85 ERA, a 2.42 FIP, and a 42.5% strikeout rate. Elbow injuries limited him to just six innings in 2021 and cost him his entire 2022 campaign, however, and that brought an end to his time with the Rays. Anderson resurfaced as a member of the Braves back in 2023, and while his strikeout rate had dropped to 25.5% he was still a solid late-inning option with a 3.06 ERA and 3.09 FIP across 35 appearances.

The wheels started to come off last year for Anderson. In 49 appearances since the start of the 2024 campaign, he’s posted a lackluster 4.65 ERA and 5.00 FIP. Of course, it should be noted that he’s not gotten consistent MLB work in that time, though his Triple-A numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence either. Still, Anderson has been dominant in the past and is just two years removed from being a quality contributor from the bullpen. Perhaps joining an organization vaunted for its strong pitching staff like Seattle could help Anderson get right and contribute to the Mariners’ bullpen down the stretch this season. Andres Munoz and Matt Brash have the late innings covered for the team, but perhaps Anderson could push someone like Emerson Hancock out of the bullpen and back to Triple-A or even take the expanded roster spot that will open up for the organization tomorrow.

Víctor Robles Suspension Reduced To Seven Games

By | at

Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has had his suspension reduced to seven games, reports Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. He will begin serving it tonight. He received a ten-game suspension over a week ago but played for the club while appealing the decision.

The suspension stemmed from an incident which occurred during Robles’s minor league rehab assignment. He had been hit by a pitch numerous times during his rehab, including a few pitches from right-hander Joey Estes, then of the Las Vegas Aviators. Jomboy Media did a thorough rundown of the events which led to Robles losing his temper. As his anger boiled over, he threw a bat towards Estes and his tantrum continued after that.

The league understandably punished Robles, though he exercised his right to appeal. The Mariners reinstated him from the injured list about a week ago while the appeals process was playing out. He has now had the suspension reduced but will need to miss seven contests.

For the Mariners, they will be punished beyond just not having Robles. When a player is suspended for an on-field infraction like this, the team doesn’t get to replace him on the roster, meaning the M’s will have to play with a 25-man roster. The one consolation of that situation is the calendar, as rosters expand from 26 to 28 on September 1st. Still, the M’s will have a shorter bench of just three guys for their weekend series in Cleveland, a key matchup against one of the clubs trying to catch Seattle for a Wild Card spot.

Seattle has Randy Arozarena in left field and Julio Rodríguez in center most days. Since coming off the IL, Robles has been in the right field mix alongside Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley. For the next seven games, those two will handle the spot, with Robles getting back into the mix after he’s served his sentence.

For Robles, it’s going to contribute to a mostly lost season. He dislocated his shoulder early in the campaign, an injury which cost him over four months. He has been limited to just 14 games and has hit .246/.267/.298 in his 60 plate appearances. He still has time to alter those numbers but will have to wait another week.

The M’s were surely hoping for more when they signed Robles last year. A former top prospect, Robles had struggled to click in the majors but seemed to break out with the M’s in 2024. He finished the year with a .328/.393/.467 in 77 games for Seattle. In the middle of that performance, the Mariners signed him to a two-year, $9.75MM deal for the 2025 and 2026 seasons with a 2027 club option.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images

Poll: AL MVP Race Check-In

By | at

Back in June, MLBTR conducted a pair of polls checking the temperature on the two MVP races, and both polls saw the league’s reigning MVP earn a dominating majority. Aaron Judge pulled in 55% of the vote in the American League poll, while Shohei Ohtani did even better as he commanded 57% of the vote in the National League’s poll. Since then, Ohtani has broken away from the pack in the NL as he’s more fully resumed two-way duties. While other players like Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Pete Crow-Armstrong have put together excellent seasons of their own in the NL, it’s hard to see that race as anything other than Ohtani’s to lose headed into the final month of the season.

By contrast, the AL MVP race has tightened considerably over the past two months. A big part of that is the fact that  Judge hasn’t looked like his usual superhuman self lately. The 33-year-old is still slashing an absurd .323/.439/.667 (193 wRC+), a figure that leads the majors by a substantial margin. However, Judge’s numbers have come down quite a bit in the past two months. Since the day our last AL MVP poll was published, Judge has hit “just” .240/.385/.540 with 12 homers and a 26% strikeout rate in 192 trips to the plate.

That lack of volume is thanks to a flexor strain in Judge’s elbow that sent him to the injured list for a minimum stint a few weeks ago, and his .210/.380/.403 slash line since returning from the injured list only underscores that he’s not playing at full strength. He’s also been relegated to a DH-only role for the month of August and has no timetable for his return to the outfield, though he’s already begun making throws to the infield in pregame workouts.

Of course, Judge looking mortal for a month or so wouldn’t be terribly noteworthy without someone mounting a substantial challenge for his league’s MVP award. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is doing exactly that. Raleigh’s phenomenal season has earned him plenty of attention all year, but he’s only garnered more attention as an MVP candidate in the weeks since Judge’s injury. Interestingly, Raleigh’s offensive numbers have slumped a bit right alongside Judge. While he was slashing .278/.383/.665 at the time of our last AL MVP poll, he’s hit a less robust .204/.311/.498 in 235 plate appearances since then. That includes a .202/.302/.524 slash line in August that isn’t all that far ahead of Judge’s numbers.

Even with the pair both cooling at the plate, Raleigh has still been playing catcher regularly and hasn’t missed time on the IL like Judge has. Raleigh, who secured just 37% of the vote in our last poll, now has eight more games played and 31 more plate appearances than Judge. It’s a small gap, but in a close race, an increased defensive workload and slight lead in terms of overall volume could be key differentiators.

There’s also the factor of history to be considered. Judge managed to surpass Ohtani in the 2022 AL MVP race in part because he set the AL home run record that season. Raleigh would need to hit 13 homers before the end of the season in order to take the title of AL home run king away from Judge, but his prodigious power has already secured him one piece of history that Judge has no hope of taking away: last night, he became the first catcher in MLB history to slug 50 homers in a season. All of that comes together to make Raleigh a legitimate contender for the award alongside Judge, and the fact that the pair are tied at the top of the MLB leaderboard with 7.3 fWAR a piece only further speaks to the viability of both candidates.

Few players in the AL have a realistic shot of challenging these two titans, but one player who could make an interesting case for himself with a strong September would be Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who finished second for the award behind Judge last year. Witt only received token consideration for the award in our last poll, garnering just 2.3% of the vote two months ago. Since then, however, he’s outperformed both Judge and Raleigh with a .313/.370/.524 slash line, a 13-for-14 record on the bases, and defense at shortstop that should make him a lock for his second consecutive Gold Glove award at the position. Witt’s 6.5 fWAR and 130 wRC+ both substantially trail Judge and Raleigh at this point, but if those two continue trending downward while Witt continues trending up, it’s at least possible that we could be in for a three-horse race.

Who do MLBTR readers think will ultimately win this year’s AL MVP award? Will Judge hold onto the title for the second year in a row? Will Raleigh’s historic season behind the plate be enough? Could Witt’s second-half surge be enough to overcome both of them? Have your say in the poll below:

Mariners Place Dylan Moore On Unconditional Release Waivers

By | at

TODAY: Moore has now been placed on unconditional release waivers, the Mariners announced.

AUGUST 23: The Mariners announced this afternoon that they’ve designated utility man Dylan Moore for assignment. Moore’s spot on both the 40-man and active roster will go to outfielder Victor Robles, who was activated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Robles was recently dealt a ten-game suspension for an incident where he threw his bat towards the pitcher’s mound during a minor league rehab game. Robles will need to serve that suspension in the majors, but Daniel Kramer of MLB.com writes that Robles is expected to be in tonight’s lineup while he appeals the suspension.

Moore, 33, was the longest-tenured player on the Mariners roster prior to his DFA. The utility man debuted with the club back in 2019 and appeared in 113 games before breaking out in a big way during the shortened 2020 season. Moore appeared in 38 games for Seattle that year, and slashed an excellent .255/.358/.496 (140 wRC+) with eight homers and 12 steals in 159 trips to the plate. That was enough to make him the second best hitter on the roster, behind only catcher Austin Nola.

He dropped back below average in 2021, but starting in 2022 enjoyed a three-year stretch of above-average offense (113 wRC+) that also saw him swipe 60 bases and win a Gold Glove award.  Even in his leaner offensive seasons of 2019 and ’21, Moore’s impressive versatility was enough to make him a valuable piece of the Mariners roster. He’s appeared at every position on the diamond except for catcher throughout his time in the majors, included a one-inning cameo on the mound during his rookie season.

That versatility combines with his speed (116 steals in 156 career attempts) to make Moore a valuable role player every season. Another notable trait of Moore’s that has made him valuable to the Mariners over the years is his knack for hitting well against southpaws. While he’s a career 92 wRC+ hitter against right-handed pitching, that jumps up to 110 when looking at his work in 675 plate appearances against lefties. His work against opposite-handed pitching has been even more impressive in recent years, as he slashed .233/.356/.425 (129 wRC+) against lefties during his peak seasons from 2022 to ’24.

All of that came apart in 2025, unfortunately. This year has been the worst of Moore’s career by a wide margin. He’s hit just .193/.263/.359 (78 wRC+) in 88 games while striking out at a career-high 35.7% clip. His typically strong defense all over the diamond hasn’t rated well by the metrics this year. Most concerning is his vanishing production against left-handed pitching; while his 91 wRC+ against righties this year is right in line with his career norms, Moore has hit just .149/.257/.309 (66 wRC+) with a 40.4% strikeout rate in 109 plate appearances against lefties this year.

That production simply wasn’t tenable for even a bench role, and now the Mariners have opted to part ways with the veteran just a few months before he otherwise would have reached free agency. Seattle will have one week to attempt to pass Moore through waivers, where he can be claimed by any MLB club willing to give him a spot on their roster and pay the remainder of his 2025 salary. Should he clear waivers unclaimed, the club could try to outright him to the minor leagues but he has more than enough service time to reject that outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Replacing Moore on the roster is Robles, who suffered a dislocated shoulder back in April and has been on the injured list ever since. A former top prospect who spent parts of eight seasons with the Nationals, Robles broke out with the Mariners at the age of 27 last year as he slashed .328/.393/.467 with 30 steals in just 77 games. That elite production was enough to earn Robles a two-year extension with the club, but year one of that deal hasn’t gone especially well between his lengthy stay on the IL and the aforementioned suspension he incurred during his rehab assignment. With Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez entrenched in left and center field respectively, Robles figures to share time with Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley in right going forward.

Mariners Sign Luke Jackson To Minors Contract

By | at

The Mariners signed Luke Jackson to a minor league deal on Thursday, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Jackson (who turns 34 tomorrow) made his debut with Triple-A Tacoma last night, allowing two runs in an inning of relief work.

The Rangers signed Jackson to a one-year, $1.5MM free agent deal back in February, plus he added another $450K to his salary by reaching innings-based incentives thresholds.  Jackson was designated for assignment and then released in late July, then quickly joined the Tigers on another guaranteed deal.  This tenure in Motown lasted just three appearances and 4 1/3 innings before Jackson was DFA’ed again, and he elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Should the Mariners call Jackson up to the active roster, Seattle will owe him just a prorated minimum salary, which will be subtracted from what remains of his original salary.  With Texas still responsible for the bulk of Jackson’s owed money, there’s no risk for the M’s in adding a veteran depth arm to the ranks.

As one might expect from the three-team tour, it hasn’t been a terribly productive year for Jackson on the mound.  Jackson has a 4.54 ERA over 39 2/3 combined innings with Texas and Detroit, with almost as many walks (24) as strikeouts (28).  The lack of results have come despite Jackson’s usual success at keeping the ball on the ground, as he has a 52.5% grounder rate and a favorable .267 BABIP.

It has now been more two years since Jackson’ last productive MLB season, as he also had a 5.09 ERA across 53 innings with the Giants and Braves in 2024.  While walks have always been an issue for Jackson, he posted very strong numbers in both the 2021 and 2023 seasons, with the 2022 campaign a writeoff due to a Tommy John surgery.  If he can recapture any of his old form, Jackson could bring some postseason experience to a Mariners team that has hopes of making some noise in October.

Mariners Sign Michael Fulmer To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Mariners have signed right-hander Michael Fulmer to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been with the Royals on a minor league deal but the log indicates he was released from that pact a few days ago.

Fulmer, 32, is having a nomadic year. He signed a two-year minor league deal with the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season. He had undergone UCL surgery and was going to miss that entire campaign. He came into 2025 with a chance to earn a job on Boston’s roster. He didn’t break camp with the club but was called up by mid-April. He was designated for assignment a few days later, clearing waivers and electing free agency.

From there, he landed a minor league deal with the Cubs. He was selected to the big league roster in June but was again cut a few days later. He cleared waivers and elected free agency again, which led him to the Royals.

Around those transactions, he has thrown 5 2/3 big league innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He has also thrown 54 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.98 earned run average, 29.8% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate.

Fulmer also has past success on his track record. He initially broke in as a starter with the Tigers and won American League Rookie of the Year in 2016. His results tailed off from there and he wound up in the bullpen, which led to some more good results. He tossed 190 1/3 innings from 2021 to 2023 with a 3.55 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate.

As mentioned, Fulmer missed the 2024 season while recovering from surgery. This year, he’s mostly been stuck in the minors but is still getting strikeouts. The M’s recently lost Trent Thornton to an Achilles tear, subtracting a bit of bullpen depth. Fulmer fills in some of that depth without taking up a roster spot.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Víctor Robles Given 10-Game Suspension For Bat-Throwing Incident

By | at

Major league baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension.

Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder.

A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Though he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes.

Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat towards the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but major league baseball is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on September 1st, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games.

It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top