Everyone was talking about Roki Sasaki and where he would sign on Friday. The Mariners had been out of the race on Sasaki for a while but on Friday the Mariners agreed to a minor league contract with hard-throwing Japanese reliever Shintaro Fujinami. Jon Morosi was the first to report the news.
The contract includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
The 30-year-old reliever becomes an intriguing need for the Mariners bullpen. He has struggled with command over the past two years, but his fastball has reached velocities of 103 MPH.
He had been designated for assignment by the New York Mets after a dreadful 2024 campaign. However, it appears he might have made some adjustments this winter. Fujinami has been pitching in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he made six starts pitching to a 3.48 ERA across 20.2 innings
Here’s what we know:
In 2023, Fujinami signed with the Oakland Athletics but was later traded to the Baltimore Orioles. In 64 games that season (7 starts), Fujinami posted a 7.18 ERA with a 7-8 record with two saves. He also recorded 83 strikeouts and 45 walks over 72 innings. Ironically, his first save came against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
He has a whiff rate of 30.1% which ranks in the 77th percentile, but his high walk rate of 12.6% ranks in the 6th percentile. His repertoire consists of five pitches: a four-seam fastball, splitter, cutter, sweeper, and slider.
How will he contribute?
If the Mariners can help him with his control, he could become a key contributor to the bullpen. The Mariners currently have Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, and Gregory Santos in the back end of their bullpen. Having another flamethrower wouldn’t hurt.
If they can’t get his command under control and he accepts a minor league assignment, he’ll at least be a depth piece they could call up in case one of the bullpen arms goes down.
