Mariners keep stockpiling relief options in deal with former Yankees trade bust

A few weeks after the trade deadline, Seattle is still making roster moves. Despite the front office's best efforts, these transactions have largely failed to move the needle. In fact, several actually suggest that the team is moving in the wrong direction.

The Mariners have also continued to tinker with their bullpen configuration, a decision that may be driven by uncertainty about the viability of Seranthony Domínguez down the stretch. The team's most recent move was to sign a minor league deal with a player who has pitched just 14 big league innings since 2022, but there could be more than meets the eye with him.

Seattle has signed former Yankee Scott Effross to a minor league deal

Scott Effross made his big league debut in 2021 for the Cubs and after a strong start to his career, found himself traded to the Yankees at the 2022 deadline. Unfortunately, he would receive Tommy John surgery in October of that year and subsequently undergo back surgery, forcing him to miss all of 2023 and pitch just 3.1 innings for New York in 2024. After posting a 8.44 ERA across 10.2 innings for the Yankees in 2025, he was non-tendered.

He has spent all of 2026 with the Tigers, pitching to a 4.46 ERA and 5.33 FIP for Triple-A Toledo, and was recently released by Detroit, allowing the Mariners to pick him up at no cost. Does he bring more to the table than his lukewarm minor league stats and injury-laden history suggest?

Sort of. With an average fastball velocity of just 89.2 mph this season, it's difficult to imagine that he'll be an effective reliever in high-leverage situations, but he does do a couple of things well. His walk rate of 5.5% is outstanding and it's largely because he fills up the zone far more than his peers, landing 51.0% of his pitches as strikes. For comparison, George Kirby, who has the best walk rate of qualified Mariners pitchers at just 5.2%, lands 49.8% of his pitches inside the zone.

He's largely dependent on soft contact and although we don't have pitch-specific data for Triple-A, it's reasonable to assume that his arsenal hasn't changed much since 2025. Both of his fastball variants profile similarly to sinkers, boasting very low induced vertical break numbers with upwards of 17 inches of arm-side movement. He's been known for the lateral spread between his pitches since he was called up several years ago.

There's no guarantee that this signing will revive Seattle's season and there's no guarantee that Effross will even find his way to the majors. Continuing to add reliever depth is important, especially for teams that are gearing up for the playoffs, but the Mariners are in desperate need of something far more impactful if they want to jumpstart what seems to be a deflated squad. Having Effross likely won't hurt, but they're going to need a little more help if they truly want to turn things around.

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