The Seattle Mariners minor league system might take a bit of a hit during the MLB Winter Meetings.
Outside of possible trades that can end with the Mariners parting with top prospects, the organization has many other minor leaguers eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
The annual event takes place during Winter Meetings at 11 a.m. PT on Dec. 11. Most of Seattle’s players eligible to be drafted are pitchers.
The Mariners are well-equipped to re-tool the farm system despite the high number of hurlers that can depart the organization.
Most of Seattle’s 2024 draft picks were pitchers and the club has signed players like Casey Lawrence, Adonis Medina, Yunior Marte and Nick Payero to minor league deals.
The Mariners added another minor league arm to the system earlier in the week on Dec. 2 with the signing of former San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs pitcher Dauris Valdez.
Valdez, 29 years-old, originally signed with the Padres out of the Dominican Republic on Feb. 12, 2016. He spent five years in the San Diego system, never advancing past Double-A and was traded to the Cubs on April 5, 2021.
Valdez last pitched professionally in the states in 2022 and suffered a season-ending injury after making two appearances with Chicago’s Double-A Tennessee Smokies. It was the second year in a row Valdez’s season ended after being placed on the 60-day injured list.
According to his transaction page on milb.com, Valdez recently signed with the Mexican Pacific League’s Caneros de Los Mochis, his first time pitching professionally since his injury in 2022. He’s made five appearances so far and has posted a 5.06 ERA with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.