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Mariners Select Mike Ford

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The Mariners announced this evening they’ve selected first baseman Mike Ford to the major league club. Catcher/designated hitter Luis Torrens has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. (Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times first reported the transactions). Seattle’s 40-man roster remains full.

Ford signed a minor league pact with Seattle over the offseason. The Princeton product broke in with an impressive .259/.350/.559 showing in 163 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2019, but he’s scuffled over the past couple seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Ford has mustered just a .134/.250/.276 line in 156 trips to the dish. He bounced from the Yankees to the Rays to the Nationals in the second half of last season. Washington non-tendered Ford at the end of the year.

The 29-year-old has gotten out to a nice start with Triple-A Tacoma this season. He’s hitting .317/.404/.488 with more walks than strikeouts through eleven games. That earns him another big league call, where he’ll add a left-handed bat to the bench for skipper Scott Servais.

The Mariners didn’t specify whether Ford is being promoted as a “substitute player.” Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, commissioner Rob Manfred has the sole discretion to determine whether teams are sufficiently impacted by COVID-19 to add a substitute to the roster. In either case, players on the COVID IL won’t count against the 40-man roster, but only designated substitutes can be removed from the 40-man without passing through waivers when affected players return. Mitch Haniger is also on the COVID-19 IL after testing positive over the weekend.

Mariners Acquire Riley O’Brien

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Riley O’Brien from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He had been designated for assignment recently when the Reds selected Nick Lodolo to their roster. The Mariners won’t need to make a corresponding move, as a spot on their 40-man roster was recently opened up when Mitch Haniger was placed on the Covid-related injured list.

Drafted by the Rays in 2017, O’Brien was traded to the Reds at the 2020 deadline for Cody Reed. He made his MLB debut in 2021, getting a cup of coffee that lasted 1 1/3 innings. He made 22 Triple-A starts and one relief appearance last year, logging 112 2/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, 45% groundball rate and 11.2% walk rate. Control has been a consistent drag on O’Brien’s performance thus far in his career, as he’s never posted a walk rate below 9.8% at any level.

The 27-year-old still has options remaining, meaning he’ll likely join the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and serve as depth for the Mariners’ pitching staff. The big league rotation already has five members in Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales, Chris Flexen and Matt Brash. However, due to the shortened Spring Training this year, many teams are deploying six-man rotations or occasional spot starts from depth arms in order to weather the unusual schedule. O’Brien should be in the mix for such a role, alongside Nick Margevicius and Justus Sheffield. The club also has veteran Asher Wojciechowski in the minors, although he doesn’t currently have a roster spot. Top pitching prospect George Kirby could be an option at some point this season, although he’s started his year in Double-A and would also require a 40-man slot.

Quick Hits: Pitch Clocks, Mariners, Brash, Cubs, Baez

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After one day of enforcing new pitch clock rules in the minor leagues, supporters of faster action and shorter games will be encouraged. Per J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, yesterday’s games were more than 25 minutes shorter on average. The pitch clock is set to 14 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with men on base, but equally important is the fact that batters are expected to remain in the box. The experiment will last all season long, and enforcement is expected to be stricter this year than with smaller-scale experiments of past seasons. If yesterday’s sample is any indication, these changes could very well be on their way to the Majors. With all this extra time, let’s check in elsewhere around the game…

  • When the Mariners traded for right-hander Matt Brash at the 2020 trade deadline, their interest was based on a 71-pitch sample from the 5 1/3 innings in High-A that, at that point, made up the entirety of Brash’s professional career. Because of the pandemic, he wasn’t pitching in the minor leagues where the Mariners (or Padres, for that matter) could gather more data. He was at home in Canada lifting weights, per The Athletic’s Corey Brock, who charts the path Brash took from Niagara University to the big leagues. Brash was a surprise addition to the Major League roster this season, making his theoretical breakout an inflection point that could impact the American League West. It’s too early to tell, but Brash is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
  • Javier Baez and the Cubs were on the verge of an extension when the pandemic hit in 2020, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. Timing is everything, however. It was timing that allowed those young Cubs stars to converge for a 2016 title, and it was the timing of their free agencies that ultimately pushed Cubs leadership to ship them out.

Mitch Haniger Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger has tested positive for COVID-19, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (via Twitter). He has been placed on the injured list, while Donovan Walton has been recalled to claim his roster spot, the team announced.

With Haniger out for probably at least five days, the pressure should alleviate somewhat from the young duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic, both of whom have started slowly at the plate. Abraham Toro, meanwhile, is the likeliest to move into the starting lineup while Haniger is away. Toro is at the hot corner today, with Eugenio Suarez moving to designated hitter. Haniger has started six games in right field and two at designated hitter for the M’s so far this season. He, too, is off to a slow start, slashing .176/.200/.471 over 35 plate appearances.

Walton, 27, figures to be back and forth from Triple-A a bit this season, as the lefty-swinging utility player has an option remaining. He has appeared with the Mariners in each of the past three seasons, but never seeing more than 69 plate appearances in a given year. In total, Walton has stepped to the dish 92 times and slashed .196/.260/.315 while appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, and left field.

Mariners Select Matt Koch

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The Mariners announced they’ve selected righty Matt Koch onto the big league roster. Veteran reliever Sergio Romo has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 12, due to shoulder inflammation. To create space on the 40-man roster, Seattle transferred Casey Sadler to the 60-day IL.

Koch is back in the majors for the first time since 2019. A former 3rd-round pick of the Mets, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in August 2015. Koch made his MLB debut the following season, the first of four straight in which he’d pick up some big league time. The majority of his work came in 2018, when Koch started 14 of his 19 outings and tossed 86 2/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball for the Snakes.

Underlying numbers didn’t support Koch’s capable run prevention figure that season, though, and he couldn’t replicate it in nine outings as a multi-inning reliever the following year. The Louisville product allowed eight home runs in 20 2/3 innings in 2019, and Arizona outrighted him off the 40-man roster that May.

Koch spent the 2020 season with the Yakult Swallows in Japan before returning to affiliated ball last season. He worked 63 1/3 frames as a long relief option for the Indians’ top affiliate in Columbus, posting a 5.83 ERA with a subpar 18.8% strikeout rate. Cleveland never gave him an MLB look, but he signed a minors pact with the M’s this past offseason. Assigned to Triple-A Tacoma to open the year, the 31-year-old has punched out five of the six batters he faced to earn a return call to the big leagues. Koch is out of minor league option years; now that he’s back on the 40-man roster, Seattle has to keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment.

The Mariners signed Romo to a $2MM deal in March. The reliable veteran has tossed a pair of scoreless outings to start his tenure in the organization, but that’ll be put on hold while he recovers. The team didn’t provide a timetable for his return. Sadler, meanwhile, is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery last month. His eventual placement on the 60-day IL was a mere formality.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times first reported the move.

Mariners Sign Nick Ramirez To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed lefty Nick Ramirez to a minor league contract, as first reported by Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). Ramirez wasn’t formally signed until yesterday morning, but he’s already reported to the Rainiers and tossed a scoreless inning out of their bullpen last night.

The 32-year-old Ramirez spent the 2021 season in the Padres organization and logged 20 1/3 innings out of their bullpen — his third straight season with big league experience. He was hit hard in that time, yielding 15 runs (13 earnd) on 23 hits and seven walks with 14 strikeouts. The resulting 5.75 ERA wasn’t much to look at, and Ramirez cleared waivers last September before opting for minor league free agency following the season.

Though he hasn’t had strong results in either 2020 or 2021, Ramirez did toss 79 2/3 innings of 4.07 ERA ball with the 2019 Tigers. He carries a 4.55 ERA in 110 2/3 Major League innings, as well as a 20.4% strikeout rate, a 9.4% walk rate and a solid 46.1% ground-ball rate. Lefties, in particular, have had a hard time with Ramirez, as evidenced by  a .234/.314/.333 batting line in 159 plate appearances. Right-handed hitters haven’t had nearly as much trouble, hitting him at a .255/.323/.466 clip in 326 tries.

While Ramirez was a fourth-round pick of the Brewers back in 2011, this is still only his sixth season as a pitcher. He spent the first five-plus seasons of his professional career as a first baseman before Milwaukee moved him to the mound in 2017. Ramirez carries a 2.96 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A, where he’s posted a combined 20.7% strikeout rate and an 8.8% walk rate.

Anthony Misiewicz and Justus Sheffield are the only two lefties currently in Seattle’s big league bullpen, though the team also has on the 40-man roster Nick Margevicius but down in Tacoma. Other recognizable southpaws on the Rainiers’ roster (but not on the Mariners’ 40-man) include Tommy Milone, Andrew Albers, Roenis Elias and Kyle Bird. Ramirez will give them some additional depth in that regard, and given that he’s pitched in the Majors each season from 2019-21, a strong showing performance could put him on the map for a fourth big league look.

Mariners Sign Daniel Ponce De Leon

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The Mariners have signed right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon, according to Tacoma Rainiers announcer Mike Curto (Twitter link).  Ponce de Leon will take the hill immediately for Triple-A Tacoma, scheduled to start today in the second game of a doubleheader.

The Angels inked Ponce de Leon to a minors contract during the lockout but released him earlier this week.  The righty didn’t get a long look in official Cactus League action, as Ponce de Leon pitched just two innings in a single Spring Training game.  It marks the second time in less than seven months that Ponce de Leon has been released, after the Cardinals cut him shortly before the end of the 2021 season.

Today’s start for the Rainiers will mark Ponce de Leon’s first official pro game outside of the St. Louis organization.  The Cards selected de Leon in the ninth round of the 2014 draft, and he has appeared in the majors in each of the last four seasons working in a swingman capacity.  With 22 starts in 57 career MLB games, Ponce de Leon has a 4.33 ERA and 23.9% strikeout rate over 147 2/3 innings in The Show, but his biggest issue has been a lack of control.  Ponce de Leon has a 12.7% walk rate in the majors, and his walks have also been on the rise even in the minors over the last few seasons.

The 2021 season saw Ponce de Leon miss about two months due to two separate shoulder-related IL stints, and he posted a 6.21 ERA over 33 1/3 frames for the Cardinals.  With his walk total (22) almost matching his strikeouts (24), Ponce de Leon became an expendable piece for the Cards.  He’ll now look to catch on with the Mariners, providing some rotation or long relief depth at the Triple-A level.

Mariners Sign J.P. Crawford To Extension

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The Mariners have officially announced a contract extension with shortstop J.P. Crawford, which reportedly adds on four additional years and $46.15MM in new money.  Crawford, who is now signed through 2026, is represented by Wasserman.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal, worth $51MM in total, starts this year and buys out two free agent seasons.  Crawford had already agreed to a $4.85MM contract for 2022.  Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has the financial breakdown of the new contract.  Jon Heyman of the New York Post notes that the deal does not contain option years and provides details on no-trade provisions.

Crawford, 27, was drafted 16th overall by the Phillies out of high school back in 2013.  He was traded to the Mariners with Carlos Santana in December 2018 in a deal that sent Jean Segura to Philadelphia.

Crawford has served as the Mariners’ starting shortstop since that trade.  Defense is Crawford’s calling card, as he landed a Gold Glove for his work in the shortened 2020 season.  In the 2021 Fielding Bible Awards voting, Crawford ranked sixth.  He didn’t particularly shine in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric in ’21, but rated well there in ’20.  Crawford did rank seventh among shortstops last year in defensive runs saved.

With the bat, Crawford has steadily ascended to become above average, with a 103 wRC+ in 687 plate appearances last year.  That led to a career-best 3.1 FanGraphs WAR, though on a pro-rated basis Crawford was also close to that mark in 2020.  Back in November, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto made it clear that Crawford would be the team’s starting shortstop for 2022, regardless of who the team ended up pursuing in free agency.

Now, Dipoto has locked up Crawford through the 2026 season.  Dipoto said in a statement Friday, “J.P. brings excellent defense at a critical position, in addition to solid on-base skills and a penchant for delivering in the big moment.  He’s an incredibly competitive player who has become an integral part of our team, both on the field and in the clubhouse.”

Crawford represents the sixth Mariners player under contract beyond 2022, joining Robbie Ray, Eugenio Suarez, Marco Gonzales, Evan White, and Andres Munoz.  The club has about $80MM in commitments for 2023.

It’s been a while since a somewhat glove-first, lower power position player in the three year service bracket signed a contract extension.  Back in January 2016, Dee Strange-Gordon signed a five-year, $50MM deal with the Marlins.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/7/22

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The Mariners have signed right-hander Jairo Diaz to a minor league deal, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Diaz had an excellent season for the Rockies in 2019, throwing 57 2/3 innings out of their bullpen. His 4.53 ERA might not look impressive at first glance, but for someone calling Coors Field home during the “juiced ball” season, that’s nothing to sneeze at. His 25.7% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate were both better than league average.

Unfortunately, things went in the wrong direction for Diaz in 2020, as his ERA shot up to 7.65, along with a 16% strikeout rate and 13.2% walk rate. He was outrighted in 2021, throwing just 7 1/3 Triple-A innings on the year due to injuries. For the Mariners, this is a no-risk way of bolstering their bullpen depth.

Some other moves from Opening Day 2022…

  • The Mariners also signed minor league deals with lefty Rob Kaminsky and infielder Taylor Featherston, per the team’s transactions tracker at MLB.com. Kaminsky has 4 2/3 innings of MLB experience, which came with the Cardinals in 2020. Last year, he signed a minors deal with the Phillies but was held to just one inning of work in the minors due to a left elbow osteophyte. The last time he saw extensive work was 2019, when he pitched 56 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, with a 3.54 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate. As for Featherston, he saw MLB action from 2015-2017, appearing in 137 games but hitting just .160/.221/.256. He didn’t play at all in 2020 or 2021, meaning his last action was 2019. He split that year between Double-A and Triple-A with the Royals, hitting .241/.303/.426, but with a 38.7% strikeout rate.
  • The Orioles traded minor league shortstop Mason McCoy to the Mariners for cash considerations, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. He was selected by the Orioles in the sixth round of the 2017 draft and has been with the organization for his whole career thus far. In 2020, he cracked Baseball America’s list of the top 30 Baltimore prospects, coming in at #29. BA’s report indicated that his defensive game is stronger his offensive output, which he certainly showed in 2021. In 112 Triple-A games, McCoy hit .221/.288/.368, striking out in 29.2% of his plate appearances. However, he did steal 13 bags and spent time at shortstop, second base, third base, left field and center field.
  • Tigers announced that left-hander Miguel Del Pozo, who was designated for assignment yesterday, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. The 29-year-old logged 5 1/3 MLB innings last year, throwing 38 1/3 in Triple-A. In that time with the Mud Hens, he had a 2.82 ERA with a 34.6% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate.

Mariners Select Matt Festa

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The Mariners announced their Opening Day roster this afternoon, and reliever Matt Festa made the big league club. Seattle had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Festa is in line for his first MLB work in three years. He suited up with Seattle from 2018-19, tossing 30 2/3 innings of 4.70 ERA ball. The former 7th-round pick only punched out 17.7% of opponents on a below-average 9.2% swinging strike rate. Seattle outrighted Festa off their 40-man roster during the 2019-20 offseason, and he underwent Tommy John surgery not long after.

The 29-year-old returned from the surgery midway through last season, working 21 1/3 innings over 19 outings with Triple-A Tacoma. Festa posted a 2.95 ERA while striking out an excellent 36% of batters faced and only issuing walks at a 3.5% clip. After also impressing the organization in Spring Training, he’ll return to the big league club.

Seattle lost Casey Sadler for the season and will be without Ken Giles to start the year. Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider and Diego Castillo look as if they’ll assume the highest-leverage innings, while Festa will step into the middle innings mix. He still has a minor league option year remaining, so the M’s can bounce him between Seattle and Tacoma this season even though he’s back on the 40-man roster.

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