Seattle Mariners claim outfielder José Siri off waivers

Hey Siri, show me the Mariners’ latest waiver claim.

We’re eight days away from pitchers and catchers reporting, but the Mariners are still reconstructing their 40-man roster before packing up for Arizona. Today, they claimed minor league outfielder José Siri off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

Siri was designated for assignment after the Reds made their signing of top free agent Nicholas Castellanos official. The 24-year-old has been regarded as one of the best prospects in a good Reds system for some time now, but just hasn’t been able to figure things out offensively. In 2019, Siri slashed just .237/.300/.357 while striking out 31.9% of the time between Double-A and Triple-A.

There’s still a lot to be encouraged by with Siri. Most notably, he carries legit 70-plus-grade speed and has all the makeup of a legit Major League center fielder. Just two years ago, Siri stole 46 bags while showing off his above-average power to the tune of 24 home runs in A-ball; overall, he slashed .293/.341/.530.

At that point, it seemed like Siri had finally put it all together. He’s had some minor injuries over the last two years but nothing that has really limited him; he’s just hit a brick wall as he’s started to face a higher level of competition.

The tools at least seem to be there, but the production isn’t. With a ton of outfield depth at or near the MLB level for the Reds, it was time for Siri to get a change of scenery. There’s little doubt that Siri can be a quality defensive outfielder and that alone will likely earn him a shot at Major League Baseball; however, any offensive improvement should be taken with a grain of salt as Siri is set to work on things in the extremely hitter-friendly confines of the PCL’s ballparks.

Still, this is not your average waiver claim. If Siri can actually figure things out at the plate, this is a huge steal for the Mariners. But there’s a lot of work ahead for all of those involved.