Fastball

Toronto Blue Jays Lose Interesting Pitching Prospect to Seattle Mariners

Hagen Danner, who used to be a catcher before converting to pitcher, has just joined the Seattle Mariners 40-man roster.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hagen Danner (65) warms up at Spring Training practice at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in 2024.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hagen Danner (65) warms up at Spring Training practice at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in 2024. / Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
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The Toronto Blue Jays officially lost interesting pitching prospect Hagen Danner on Wednesday, as he was claimed by the Seattle Mariners off waivers.

The 26-year-old California native was drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 2017 draft as a catcher from Huntington Beach High School.

He hit .191 in parts of three minor league seasons from 2017-2019. He converted to pitcher in 2021 after minor leaguers came back from the COVID-pandemic.

In 96 minor league appearances, Danner is 6–3 with 13 saves and a 3.00 ERA (38 ER, 114.0 IP) with 39 walks and 135 strikeouts, according to a release from the Mariners. He made his major league debut in 2023 with the Jays, tossing 0.1 scorelss innings in his only appearance.

The Mariners have been notoriously good at turning unheralded pitchers into success stories. Drew Steckenrider, Justin Topa, Casey Sadler, Paul Sewald, Tayler Saucedo, Gabe Speier and Collin Snider come to mind. Perhaps Danner will get an opportunity to join the M's bullpen at some point in 2025.

The Mariners finished second in the American League West this past season. The Jays, on the other hand, finished last in the American League East at 74-88.

They've had an offseason marred by inactivity and let down. They missed out on free agents like Corbin Burnes, Juan Soto and Teoscar Hernandez, while also missing on Max Fried.

The team remains engaged on Alex Bregman and Anthony Santander, but they haven't been able to close the deal.

Yimi Garcia is the only big-league signing off the offseason for the Jays.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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