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Mariners To Promote Bryan Woo

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TODAY: The Mariners made the move official, selecting Woo’s contract and placing Gonzales on the 15-day IL with a forearm strain. To clear room for Woo on the 40-man roster, right-hander Easton McGee was transferred to the 60-day IL.

June 2: The Mariners are calling up pitching prospect Bryan Woo to start tomorrow’s game against the Rangers, tweets Corey Brock of the Athletic. Left-hander Marco Gonzales was slated to start but has been scratched with a forearm issue. It seems likely he’ll hit the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move, though that hasn’t yet been announced.

Woo, 23, is in the majors for the first time. A sixth round pick in 2021 out of Cal Poly, Woo has significantly elevated his stock in pro ball. He posted huge strikeout numbers in the low minors last season, cementing himself as one of the better prospects in the Seattle farm system. Baseball America slotted Woo seventh among M’s prospects over the offseason, praising his three-pitch arsenal and athleticism.

BA suggests Woo could settle in as a back-of-the-rotation starter at his peak. Keith Law of the Athletic credited Woo with mid-rotation upside but suggested spotty command could eventually push him towards a relief role. He’ll break into the big leagues as a starter, making the jump directly past Triple-A in the process.

The right-hander has made nine starts for Double-A Arkansas on the season. He’s posted a brilliant 2.05 ERA through 44 innings with an excellent 34% strikeout rate. Woo has kept his free passes to a 7% clip, a particularly promising development considering the strike-throwing questions some evaluators expressed over the winter.

Seattle has already gotten strong results from one rookie righty this season. Bryce Miller has excelled through six starts, adding an exciting complement to their already fantastic trio of Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. Gonzales has had a tougher go as the fifth starter, posting a 5.22 ERA over 50 innings.

While Gonzales has never missed many bats, he’s posted solid back-of-the-rotation numbers for the bulk of his Seattle tenure. He’s an excellent strike-thrower and has typically been durable. He missed around a month during the 2021 season with a forearm strain, however, and he’s again battling forearm issues. The extent of the injury is to be determined, as Brock notes he’s headed for further evaluation.

Chris Flexen filled in the rotation earlier this season. He struggled and was moved to the bullpen and fared much better in long relief. Flexen hasn’t pitched in four days and could’ve been an option to take a spot start in Gonzales’ stead, but the M’s have elected to dip into their farm system for one of their most talented young arms.

Woo won’t reach a full year of service time even if he’s up for good. He’ll be controllable through at least 2029 and wouldn’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2025 season at the earliest. Additional minor league assignments could push that timeline back.

The Mariners will need to formally add him to the 40-man roster tomorrow. Seattle is technically at capacity but could move either of Dylan Moore or Robbie Ray to the 60-day injured list without issue. Moore has already spent more than two months on the shelf; Ray is out for the season.

Mariners Select Mike Ford

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June 2: Ford’s selection is now official with the Mariners announcing the move today.

June 1: The Mariners are selecting the contract of first baseman Mike Ford, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). He adds that the move won’t be official until tomorrow but outfielder Taylor Trammell has already been optioned as the corresponding move. The club already had a 40-man roster vacancy and won’t require another move to open a spot there. Ford had triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal earlier today, giving the club 48 hours to add him to the roster or else lose him to free agency, though they’ve quickly taken the former route.

Ford, 30, gets back to the majors thanks to a torrid stretch on the farm to start this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the winter and has 13 home runs through 49 Triple-A games so far. He’s been playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but his .302/.427/.605 batting line still amounts to a 143 wRC+, indicating he’s been 43% better than league average at the plate overall. He has a 16.1% walk rate and a strikeout rate of just 14.2%.

The lefty-swinger has posted strong results in the minors before, having hit .263/.363/.493 over 365 Triple-A games for his career. But his attempts to handle major league pitching haven’t gone as well, as he’s hit .201/.301/.387 in 468 plate appearances dating back to 2019. He’s never really been given a lengthy chance, however, as he’s yet to get into more than 50 games in a big league season.

The Mariners will see if he can provided a needed jolt to their offense. The club is collectively hitting .228/.308/.381 for a wRC+ of 97. The designated hitter slot has been especially disappointing, with the club getting a collective .148/.248/.295 line out of that position. That translates to a wRC+ of 56, the worst such mark in the majors. There hasn’t been any set player in that role, as the club has largely used it to give more at-bats to their many outfielders, with Julio Rodríguez, Jarred Kelenic, Teoscar Hernández, AJ Pollock and Taylor Trammell all getting some time there. Since Ford is only really capable of playing first base and the M’s have Ty France there, Ford could take some plate appearances away from that outfield group.

Of course, the one who is most obviously squeezed out of playing time is Trammell, as he’s now headed down to the farm. He’s somewhat similar to Ford in the sense that he’s always struggled in the majors despite crushing in the minors. He’s hitting .133/.278/.333 for Seattle this year and has a .168/.269/.370 line in his big league career, striking out in 37% of his plate appearances. In Triple-A, however, he’s hit .285/.377/.495 across three different seasons. He’ll now head back there to try to get into a good groove.

The transaction is potentially significant for Trammell as he has just one option season remaining. Once he spends 20 days in the minors, that means he will officially burn that final option here in 2023 and will be out of options in 2024.

César Hernández Exercises Opt-Out In Mariners Deal

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Infielder César Hernández has opted out of his minor league deal with the Mariners, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

June 1 is a popular date for opt-outs on minor league contracts, as five other players triggered similar clauses earlier today. Once the opt-out is triggered, the club usually has a window of 48 or 72 hours to either add the player to their 40-man roster or else lose them to free agency. At this point, it’s not publicly known how long the Mariners will have to decide about Hernández or which way they would be leaning. First baseman Mike Ford triggered an opt-out earlier today but it was reported shortly thereafter that the M’s will be adding him to their roster tomorrow.

Hernández, 33, is a veteran who first debuted with the Phillies in 2013. He spent many years in Philadelphia as a solid everyday player at second base, providing both offense and defense roughly around league average. From 2015 to 2019, he got into 732 games over those five seasons. He only hit 45 home runs but walked at a solid 10.1% rate and only struck out in 18.5% of his trips to the plate. His .278/.355/.388 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 100, indicating he was exactly league average in that time, while he also swiped 79 bags in that stretch.

Since then, things have been a little less consistent for him. He had an unusual power spike in 2021, hitting 21 home runs but his batting average fell to .232. Last year, his power vanished as he hit only one homer all year and his average ticked up but only to .248. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Tigers this winter but didn’t make the club out of spring and was released, perhaps due to an automatic opt-out he had as an Article XX(B) free agent.

He landed with the Mariners on another minor league deal and has been with Triple-A Tacoma for the past two months. He hasn’t hit any home runs in his 43 games with the Rainiers but he did walk in 22.6% of his plate appearances. He hit .272/.436/.336 overall for a 107 wRC+ and stole seven bases. He played mostly second base but also saw some time at third, shortstop and center field.

The Mariners are pretty set at most of those positions, with Julio Rodríguez in center, Eugenio Suárez at third and J.P. Crawford at short. But Hernández’s primary position of second base is a little less secure. Kolten Wong was the everyday option coming into the season but he’s hitting a paltry .157/.252/.185 this year. He’s gradually been ceding playing time to José Caballero, who has a solid .240/.366/.360 line so far, but in just 93 plate appearances in his first 31 major league games.

Perhaps those factors could cause the M’s to consider adding Hernández to their roster. If not, he’ll head out to the open market and see what other opportunities might be available to him.

Mike Ford Exercises Opt-Out In Mariners Deal

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First baseman Mike Ford has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Mariners, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The club will now have 48 hours to add him to their roster or else he will become a free agent. June 1 is a popular date for opt-outs on minor league deals, with four other players triggering clauses earlier today.

Ford, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners over the winter and has spent all of 2023 in Triple-A so far. He has been absolutely crushing the ball for the Rainiers, having hit 13 home runs in 49 games. He’s walked in 16.1% of his plate appearances while striking out in only 14.2% of them. Although the club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, his huge .302/.427/.605 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 143, indicating he’s been 43% better than league average.

With that excellent performance, it’s hardly a shock that he’s willing to return to the open market. The Mariners have a couple of days to decide whether to give him a shot, but doing so would be somewhat complicated. For one thing, Ford is out of options, meaning he would need to be added to the active roster.

He is also limited to first base and designated hitter at this point in his career, which gives the club fewer opportunities for slotting him into the lineup. Ty France has played first base for the vast majority of Seattle’s games this year, hitting a solid .262/.338/.407 for a wRC+ of 114. The designated hitter slot has been a rotation, often used to get one of the club’s many outfielders into the lineup. With Julio Rodríguez, Jarred Kelenic, Teoscar Hernández, AJ Pollock and Taylor Trammell all in the mix, that’s five guys for four spots.

It’s also no guarantee that Ford would be able to bring his Triple-A success to the majors, as he’s often tantalized with strong results on the farm but struggled in the big leagues. In 365 Triple-A contests for his career, he has 74 home runs and a .263/.363/.493 batting line. In 151 major league games, he has 20 home runs but an overall line of just .201/.301/.387. The Mariners could give him another shot at big league pitching, but doing so would likely squeeze out someone like Pollock or Trammell. It’s possible that could lead to an offensive boost but would also come with diminished defensive flexibility.

If the M’s don’t give Ford a roster spot, he will see if there are better opportunities for him elsewhere. He would be competing with other first basemen like Luke Voit and Jesús Aguilar, who were each recently designated for assignment and likely to end up released. Those players have longer major league track records than Ford but he can at least point to strong results this year, unlike them. Ford also has just over two years of major league service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained for future seasons via arbitration if he finally breaks out.

Mariners, Adam Engel Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed outfielder Adam Engel to a minor league contract, tweets Triple-A broadcaster Mike Curto. He’s reporting to the M’s top affiliate in Tacoma for his organizational debut this evening. The Icon Sports Management client finds a new landing spot less than a week after being released by the Padres.

Engel only appeared in five major league games for San Diego. Signed to a one-year deal over the offseason after being non-tendered by the White Sox, he opened the season on the injured list with a strained left hamstring. Engel returned from the IL on May 5 but only logged six plate appearances over the next two weeks before the Friars cut him loose.

While his 2023 track record is limited, Engel has had a fairly lengthy run in the major leagues. He’d previously only ever played for Chicago, suiting up for the Sox between 2017-22. Aside from a small sample offensive spike between 2020-21, he’s been a lighter-hitting defensive specialist. The Louisville product is a career .224/.279/.349 hitter in over 1500 plate appearances. A right-handed hitter, Engel hasn’t produced much against pitchers of either handedness.

He’s nevertheless gotten a decent amount of MLB time because of his glove and speed. Engel has 47 career stolen bases and generally rates as a productive overall baserunner. He’s capable of playing anywhere in the outfield and has gotten strong reviews from both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast for his center field work. The Mariners will pencil in Julio Rodríguez daily so long as he’s healthy, while Teoscar Hernández and the platoon of Jarred Kelenic and AJ Pollock are manning the corner outfield.

Neither Hernández nor Pollock has performed well this season and center field prospect Cade Marlowe has posted below-average numbers in Triple-A. The M’s also have Taylor Trammell, Cooper Hummel and utilityman Sam Haggerty on the 40-man roster. Engel adds an experienced glove-first depth option behind that group. He has over five years of MLB service, so if he’s promoted at any point, the Mariners would have to keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment.

West Notes: Lamet, Munoz, Hudson, Rendon, Rodriguez

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The Rockies plan to activate Dinelson Lamet from the 15-day injured list to start their Wednesday game with the Diamondbacks, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports (Twitter link).  Reports surfaced last week that Limet was being considered for a return to starting pitching, and with the Rockies increasingly desperate for rotation help, Limet will get a look as a starter for the first time since the 2021 season when he was still a member of the Padres.  Karl Kauffmann has already been optioned to Triple-A, creating space for Lamet on the active roster.  Lower back tightness has kept Lamet out of action for almost all of May, and he struggled to a 12.66 ERA over 10 2/3 relief innings this season prior to his injury.

Some more items from both the NL and AL West…

  • Andres Munoz will start a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday, as the Mariners reliever is on the way back from a deltoid strain that has sidelined him since April 8.  Thought to be a minor injury at the time, Munoz was then bothered by a sore shoulder that required a PRP injection, extending his time on the IL to just shy of two months.  Munoz only pitched 3 1/3 innings over four appearances before heading to the injured list, but assuming everything goes as planned, he’ll be back in the Seattle bullpen and looking to follow up his outstanding 2022 season.
  • Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that he will throw a bullpen on Tuesday.  It’s a positive step for Hudson, who hasn’t pitched since tearing his left UCL last June.  During the last update on Hudson two weeks ago from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the veteran righty was throwing but without any specific plans for a rehab assignment due to some continued discomfort in his knee.  Hudson said today that he’d received a cortisone injection in his knee, and was hoping that the bullpen session would be the first step towards a “ramp up” of his recovery.
  • Angels GM Perry Minasian provided some news on some injured Halos players to the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher and other reporters, though neither Anthony Rendon or Chris Rodriguez seems close to a return.  Rendon has been taking part in some light baseball activities, but even with more than two weeks passed since Rendon hit the 10-day IL due to a groin strain, Minasian wasn’t sure of a timeline for when Rendon might return or take on a fuller rehab process.  Rodriguez underwent shoulder surgery in November 2021 and didn’t pitch at all in 2022, then had a setback in early April after starting the season on the 15-day IL.  It doesn’t appear as though there was any further damage to Rodriguez’s shoulder, as Minasian said the team has “done what we need to do medically” to assess the situation, and Rodriguez is throwing again but not off a mound.

Giants To Acquire Jacob Nottingham From Mariners

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The Giants are acquiring catcher Jacob Nottingham from the Mariners, report Robert Murray and Jeff Young of FanSided. It’s not publicly known what the Mariners will receive in exchange. He’s not on a 40-man roster and won’t require a corresponding move.

Nottingham, 28, was signed by the Mariners to a minor league deal in the offseason. He’s played 17 games for Triple-A Tacoma this year, hitting .200/.294/.450 in that time. He has 53 games of major league experience, spread across the 2018-2021 seasons with the Brewers and Mariners. He hit .184/.277/.421 in 130 plate appearances in those major league contests. Last year, he was with the Orioles on a minor league deal and hit .229/.333/.425 in Triple-A but never got the call to the big leagues. Defensively, he has a tally of +2 Defensive Runs Saved in his brief time in the majors while FanGraphs ranks his framing as just a bit below league average.

The Giants have been shuffling through catchers this year, as they opened the season with Joey Bart, Roberto Pérez and Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol on the roster, the latter of whom also plays some outfield. Unfortunately, Pérez required season-ending shoulder surgery fairly early in the season and Bart has now joined him on the injured list with a groin strain. That leaves them with Sabol and the recently-promoted Patrick Bailey as their duo behind the plate, both of whom are in their first major league seasons. The addition of Nottingham will give the club a veteran depth option to call upon if needed.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Mets’ Catching Conundrum, Mariners, Diamondbacks

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Episode 8 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by Will Sammon of The Athletic to discuss:

  • The Mets’ start to the season (1:44)
  • What they’ll do with Francisco Alvarez and Gary Sanchez once Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez return from the IL (5:31)
  • Where they could look to improve at the trade deadline (10:18)
  • The mood in their clubhouse as they overcome a slow start to the season (14:24)

Then, Simon is joined by Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • What’s going on with the Mariners lineup, and could they move on from Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock? (19:41)
  • Can the Marlins maintain their solid start to the season, and would they consider buying at the deadline? (24:54)
  • What makes the Diamondbacks such a strong team this year? (29:25)

Check out our past episodes!

  • The Cardinals’ U-Turn on Willson Contreras, Mitch Keller’s breakout, and the state of the Padres – listen here
  • Willson Contreras, the Rays’ success, what’s happening with the Astros – listen here
  • White Sox trade candidates, Red Sox options for improvements, managers on the hot seat – listen here

Mariners, Pedro Severino Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have agreed to a minor league pact with veteran catcher Pedro Severino, tweets Tacoma Rainiers director of communications Paul Braverman. Severino, a client of Republik Sports, opted out of a minor league deal with the Padres last week. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma and will give the Mariners some catching depth there.

The 29-year-old Severino had a strong start at the plate with the Padres’ Triple-A club, slashing .286/.400/.476 with three home runs, three doubles and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) in his first 75 plate appearances. He even added a surprising three stolen bases, matching his career-high from any prior season.

Severino has logged Major League time in each of the past eight seasons, typically serving as a backup or the right-handed end of a catching platoon. Dating back to the 2019 season, he’s a .248/.316/.396 hitter with 29 homers, 38 doubles, an 8.6% walk rate and a 23.9% strikeout rate in 959 plate appearances (mostly with the Orioles).

As far as catchers go, Severino is a solid hitter — evidenced both by his big start to the season in El Paso and that respectable four-year run from 2019-22. However, he’s long graded out as a poor defensive backstop. Severino routinely posts below-average framing marks, and Defensive Runs Saved dings him for -18 in his 2574 career innings behind the dish. He does have a solid 28.5% caught-stealing rate in the big leagues, but his 33 passed balls from 2015-22 are the 22nd-most in MLB — despite the fact that all but one name ahead of him on the list (the now-retired Josh Phegley) have at least 600 more innings behind the plate. Statcast’s tracking of catchers’ blocking data only dates back to 2020, but Severino ranks last among big league catchers in its Blocks Above Average metric.

The Mariners are largely set behind the plate, with slugging Cal Raleigh taking the majority of the playing time and veteran Tom Murphy backing him up. In Tacoma, the Mariners have Jacob Nottingham and minor league veteran Brian O’Keefe as their primary options, though catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel has also logged a pair of games behind the plate. Bringing Severino into the mix will give them another option behind the dish and another bat to work into the lineup against left-handed pitching. In 449 big league plate appearances against southpaws, Severino is a .260/.325/.436 hitter.

Mariners Sign Marcus Walden To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have agreed to a minor league pact with former Red Sox right-hander Marcus Walden. The signing was first announced by the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the independent Atlantic League, for whom Walden had been pitching to begin the season. Mariners director of Triple-A communications Paul Braverman tweets that Walden will join the team’s Triple-A rotation, making his first start today.

Now 34 years old, Walden pitched well in Boston from 2018-19, totaling 92 2/3 innings of 3.79 ERA ball with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. That includes 78 frames of 3.81 ERA ball in a supercharged 2019 run-scoring environment that saw 58 players club at least 30 home runs. Walden was hit hard in 13 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 campaign (14 runs in 13 1/3 innings) and hasn’t pitched in the Majors since, however. He’s had stints with the Triple-A clubs for the Red Sox, Cubs and Brewers along the way, pitching to a mid-4.00s ERA at each stop.

Over the past two seasons, Walden has spent 70 1/3 innings pitching with the Atlantic League’s Gastonia club, working to a combined 2.82 ERA. That includes 20 innings of 2.70 ball so far in 2023, though it’s perhaps his 24-to-2 K/BB ratio that’s garnered more attention (31.2% strikeout rate, 2.6% walk rate).

Seattle’s rotation took a huge hit early in the season when former AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray required Tommy John surgery, but the team’s rotation remains strong. Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert have all pitched well — Kirby, in particular — and rookie Bryce Miller has come up to the Majors and stepped seamlessly onto the starting staff. In 25 1/3 innings over his first four outings, he’s logged a sensational 1.42 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate against a 2.3% walk rate.

The fifth spot is a bit murkier. Veteran Marco Gonzales had been posting solid enough numbers for much of the season, but a recent eight-run drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox sent his ERA skyrocketing from 4.42 to 6.10. He’s now yielded eight runs in two of  his past four starts (although three of those were unearned). Fellow vet Chris Flexen has struggled when he’s been asked to step into the rotation as well.

The journeyman Walden isn’t likely to jump into that mix anytime soon, but he’ll join southpaw Tommy Milone as an experienced arm in Tacoma who could be called upon for a spot start or to give the ’pen some length if the need arises. In 366 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Walden has a 4.47 ERA.

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