Goodbyes and Hellos! Ball Players on the Move from the Mariners

Goodbye and Thank You!

Recently, Mariners fans have lost some players who have been on the team for a while as well as others who spent less time in Seattle.

RHP SP/RP Chris Flexen has been a Mariners starting and then relief pitcher for two and one-half years. The Mets recruited Flexen in 2012 and he debuted in the big leagues in 2017. After only pitching 68 innings over three years, he pitched 179.2 innings in his first year with the Mariners! He had 14 wins in the 2021 season which was second in MLB! For the first part of this season, he was a relief pitcher, until the Mariners let him go. Colorado picked him up and to date, he has pitched 25.2 innings, striking 21 batters out. Thank you, Chris Flexen!

RHP Closer Paul Sewald I let out a sigh of relief whenever Paul Sewald came out to the mound at the end of a game. He is a superstar closer. Before his two-and-a-half years with the Mariners, Sewald pitched for the Mets. The Mets drafted him in 2012 from the University of San Diego. He debuted in MLB in 2017 with the Mets and this is his seventh season. He now pitches for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He shares jersey number 38 with Robbie Ray who also had that number when he pitched for Arizona. This may not be a coincidence. We are very grateful for your time in Seattle, Paul Sewald.

RHP RP Matt Festa Seattle drafted Festa in 2016. In his career with the Mariners, he pitched 93.2 innings in 89 games for Seattle, striking out 102 batters. He was designated for assignment earlier this month. Thank you and best of luck, Matt!

Second baseman Kolten Wong came to Seattle this season from the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to playing for the Brewers, Wong played eight seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, the team that drafted him. He was designated for assignment earlier this month. According to Rotowire.com, Wong signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers last week. During his career, Wong put up some strong numbers, receiving two Gold Gloves at second base. Hopefully, his time in the minor leagues will bring him back to the level he has played before. Thank you, Kolten Wong!

Outfielder AJ Pollock began his pro-baseball career when the Diamondbacks drafted him in 2009 from the University of Notre Dame. He debuted in MLB in 2012 and played seven years with Arizona. He then played three years with the Dodgers and one year with the Chicago White Sox before coming to Seattle. Seattle traded Pollock to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline as the Giants needed an experienced outfielder. Thank you!

RHP RP Trevor Gott just spent a few months with the Mariners. He was a valuable arm in the bullpen this season. The San Diego Padres drafted Gott out of the University of Kentucky in 2015. He has played for several clubs: the Padres, the Angels, the Nationals, the Giants, the Brewers, Seattle and now the Mets. Thank you, Trevor Gott!

Hello and Welcome!

I covered several of our newest pitching team members earlier in the season: Justin Topa, Tayler Saucedo, Gabe Speier, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller in an article for sodomojo.com. It is hard to keep up with new players and those who play with the Mariners but then return to the minor leagues!

RHP SP Emerson Hancock, age 24, was born in Cairo, GA. He was brought up to the Big Leagues to be a starting pitcher while Bryan Woo recovered from his injury. Now, Hancock is injured, unfortunately. The Mariners drafted Hancock in 2020 from the University of Georgia. He has spent time in the Mariners organization, pitching for the Everett Aquasox and more recently, the Arizona Travelers. He has pitched 12 innings for the Mariners.

RHP RP Isaiah Campbell, age 26, was born in Angra do Heroismo, Portugal. The Seattle Mariners drafted Campbell in 2019. Prior to playing in the big leagues, Campbell played for the Everett Aquasox and the Arizona Travelers. He has pitched 13.2 innings this season and struck out 15 batters.

RHP RP Trent Thornton, age 29, was born in Charlotte, NC. The Houston Astros drafted Thornton from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015. He played for four years on several minor league teams for Houston. He then pitched for Toronto between 2019 and 2023 when he came to Seattle. He has pitched 10 innings for the Seattle bullpen and struck out 8 batters.

RHP Luke Weaver, age 30, was born in DeLand, FL. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Weaver in 2014 from Florida State University – Tallahassee. Weaver debuted in MLB in 2016 with the Cardinals and played with them for three years before moving to Arizona in 2019 and staying there four years.  In 2022, he played for Arizona and the Reds. He pitched for the Reds in 2023 prior to coming to Seattle just the other day.

Catcher Brian O’Keefe, age 30, was born in Albany, NY. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted O’Keefe from St. Joseph University in Philadelphia in 2014. He came to Seattle in 2019, became a free agent in 2022, and re-signed with Seattle last year. He played two games with Seattle in 2022 and three games this season.

Outfielder Dominic Canzone, age 26, was born in Cleveland, OH. The Diamondbacks drafted Canzone in 2019 from Ohio State University. Canzone played in the Arizona minor leagues prior to his call-up to the Diamondbacks earlier this year. He is still a rookie!

Second baseman Josh Rojas, age 29, was born in Litchfield Park, AZ. Houston drafted Rojas in 2017 from the University of Hawaii – Manoa, and he played on their minor league teams. Rojas played with the Diamondbacks for more than four years before coming to the Mariners at the trade deadline.

The fans are excited to have you as new additions to the team! You have already contributed much! Go, Mariners!