Mariners designate veteran RHP for assignment

The Mariners announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been designated for assignment. The move clears a roster spot for Eduard Bazardo, as the M’s have called the righty back up from Triple-A Tacoma.

It could be a brief stint in Seattle for Weaver, who only signed a major league contract with the club on August 22. His tenure with the club has consisted of one start and four relief appearances, and Weaver has delivered a 6.08 ERA over his 13 1/3 innings in a Mariners uniform. The M’s were hoping that Weaver could eat innings and provide some depth within an overall young rotation that is running into innings-limit problems, yet it seems as though the Mariners are willing to move on from the 30-year-old righty.

Weaver signed a one-year, $2M free agent deal with the Reds last winter, but his eighth MLB season has been a year to forget. A strained right flexor tendon suffered during spring training delayed Weaver’s 2023 debut until April 20, and he hasn’t really gotten on track since, posting a 6.77 ERA in 110 1/3 combined frames with Cincinnati and Seattle. Never a big strikeout pitcher over his career, Weaver’s 18.4% strikeout rate is a career low, and batters have been making a lot of hard and quality contact against his offerings this season. Weaver has allowed 26 homers over his 110 1/3 innings, a huge spike in home run rate compared to his past numbers.

While the results haven’t been there, it still seems possible that Weaver will draw some interest on the waiver wire, or could perhaps be signed to a new contract in the event that he clears waivers and is released by Seattle. Any number of teams could use an extra arm down the stretch, whether it’s a non-contender looking to fill innings or a playoff contender in search of depth.

Because Weaver has more than five years of MLB service time, he can reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers and opt for free agency. The Reds are still obligated for what’s left of that $2M salary, as the Mariners only had to pay Weaver a prorated major league minimum salary during his time on Seattle’s active roster.