The Mariners and right-hander Casey Lawrence have reunited on a minor league deal, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The Large League Administration Firm consumer will presumably obtain an invitation to main league spring coaching in just a few months.
Lawrence, 37, signed a minor league cope with the M’s going into final yr as nicely. He offered the membership with some non-roster depth, making 29 begins and logging 165 Triple-A innings with a 5.95 earned run common within the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 14.9% strikeout charge was subpar however his 6.6% stroll charge was robust and he obtained grounders at a strong 44.1% clip.
That’s wasn’t sufficient to get Lawrence known as to the main leagues, so he reached minor league free company not too long ago, however he’ll now return to the M’s and provides them an skilled depth arm. Lawrence has pitched in components of 4 completely different main league seasons, suiting up for the Blue Jays, Mariners and Cardinals. In that point, he has a 6.75 ERA in 124 innings.
The Mariners have a robust rotation if everyone seems to be wholesome, although that’s not one thing a membership can depend on. Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller every made at the very least 30 begins in 2024 with nobody in that group having an ERA larger than 3.64. Bryan Woo had some accidents however nonetheless managed to offer the membership 22 begins with a 2.89 ERA.
The M’s even have Emerson Hancock readily available, although his upper-level outcomes haven’t impressed a lot confidence. He has only a 16.7% strikeout charge on the Triple-A stage and only a 14.3% clip in opposition to main league hitters. Jhonathan Díaz and Blas Castano are additionally on the 40-man roster however Díaz has simply 45 main league innings below his belt whereas Castano has none.
In brief, whereas the M’s do have a robust rotation, the choices past the highest 5 aren’t as spectacular. Whereas many followers of rival golf equipment have speculated about plucking a starter from Seattle, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto not too long ago referred to that because the membership’s “Plan Z“, maybe a mirrored image of the skinny depth. Much less harm luck in 2025 may make that a problem because the season goes alongside, however Lawrence will give them one other arm to doubtlessly name upon.
