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.