Seattle Mariners Bring Back Pitcher with 80 Games of Major League Experience
Veteran pitcher Josh Fleming is back in the fold for the Seattle Mariners after he ended the 2024 season in the organization.
Robert Murray of Fansided had the report on social media:
The Mariners are signing left-hander Josh Fleming to a minor-league contract, source said. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
The Mariners are signing left-hander Josh Fleming to a minor-league contract, source said. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 19, 2024
Fleming is an interesting case in that he has starting and relief experience. While he's only made 25 starts out of 80 major league appearances, he has experience working as the "bulk guy" for the Rays, showing that he can add a little depth to both the starting and relief units with the Mariners organization.
Fleming pitched in 25 games this past season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA. He made 19 appearances with Triple-A Tacoma, going 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA in the hitter-friendly PCL.
While signing Fleming is a depth move, it represents one of just a small number of transactions that the M's have made this offseason. They've signed several pitchers to minor league deals and also traded for minor league prospect Austin Shenton (Rays). They have yet to make a major league transaction and still have holes to fill at second base and third base.
They've been connected to several names in both the free agent and trade markets, but nothing has shaken out just yet. Just Thursday, we heard that they have engaged the Cleveland Guardians in a possible trade for ifrst baseman Josh Naylor. We don't know how serious those talks have gotten.
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