Mariners News: Seattle adds 2 players, former top prospect lands with Rays

Few teams have more to do this offseason than the Seattle Mariners. Coming off of an 85-win showing in 2024, the club has multiple roster holes to fill but has been awfully quiet so far. To date, Seattle's major move has been the non-tendering of multiple pieces from last year's squad and the re-acquisition of former prospect Austin Shenton.

Over the past few days, the Mariners have found themselves in the headlines but they're all of the minor-league variety. There's still no action that'll immediately affect the club's 26-man roster in the big leagues, but each storyline has its own purpose. While we inch closer and closer to the 2025 season, some of these just aren't clear yet.

Mariners re-sign LHP Josh Fleming to minor-league deal

On Thursday, FanSided's Robert Murray reported that the Mariners re-signed Josh Fleming to a minor-league contract. The left-hander will be in camp as a non-roster invite once spring training rolls around.

Fleming, 28, has spent time in the big leagues in each of the past five seasons but has yet to reach the game's highest level as a member of the Mariners. He had previously joined the organization via minor-league deal in August of this past year. In 19 relief appearances for Triple-A Tacoma, Fleming posted a 4.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts and five walks in 16 innings of work.

Mariners claim C Nick Raposo from the Blue Jays

As first reported by MLB Trade Rumors, the Mariners also claimed catcher Nick Raposo off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. The 27-year-old will automatically join the Mariners' 40-man roster, giving them some high-minors depth behind Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver, who should form the team's Opening Day tandem behind the plate.

Raposo has yet to make his big league debut, but he's a defensive-minded catcher who is well regarded as a strong thrower and a positive pitch-framer behind the plate. On the offensive side of things, he's generally been a light hitter and his 2024 output proved that. In a combined 78 games between the Cardinals and Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliates, he recorded 10 doubles and eight home runs with 33 RBI and a .206 average.

Former Mariners top prospect Joey Gerber signs with Rays

Joey Gerber, whose only big league experience to date has come out of the Mariners' bullpen, is joining the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor-league deal, as first relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He will also get a non-roster invite to big league camp.

The last time Gerber was seen in the big leagues, he made 17 relief appearances for Seattle, posting a 4.02 ERA with six strikeouts and five walks in 15 2/3 innings. Since then, he's been hobbled by injuries and stuck pitching in Triple-A for the Yankees.

This past season, the right-hander took a professional mound for the first time since a one-inning showing in 2022 as a member of the Yankees' minor league system. Gerber impressed, posting a 2.43 ERA with 10.8 K/9 across 33.1 innings. Now, he'll stick in the AL East and look to get back to The Show for the first time in half a decade.