Justin De Fratus Released

On Wednesday March 18 the Mariners released relief pitcher Justin De Fratus however they are looking to bring him back on a minor league deal. According to general manager Jerry Dipoto they hope he can sign a minor league deal so he can work on things and be back where he once was at.

Dipoto was on the Mariner TV broadcast on Wednesday. He said it has been tough with injuries to some of the guys in the bullpen. The Mariners will be in a bad position if another pitcher goes down especially Charlie Furbush is not ready for opening day. The Mariners will need to look to see what is out there to help the bullpen.

When spring training started the Mariners were talking about getting a veteran infielder to be part of the competition for utility player however I haven’t heard anything at this point so they could be satisfied with what is there or waiting to see who could be released. So far Luis Sardinas is having a really good spring training including hitting with some power.

The right handed hitting first baseman is still up in the air. It looks like that will go down to the wire. If Stefan Romero continues hitting well and he can field the position Ok he could be the guy. His main downside is how much the Mariners want to keep either Montero or Lee. So we won’t see what will happen there for the next ten days to two weeks. I like Romero because he can play the outfield as well. The major question is whether he is now ready to play in the major leagues regularly or not. Of course, that is the same question for Montero and Lee. If the Mariners can’t answer the question on any of the three they may have to go out and pick up a veteran right handed hitting first baseman. Another answer would be to play the utility player who makes the team at first base against lefties. This could open a spot for Ed Lucas who can play first, third and the outfield.

The Mariners take on the Oakland A’s today with James Paxton making on his next start. Depending on how he pitches will decide four innings or he will go five or six innings.

Boog Powell will be leading off and playing in center field for the Mariners. Luis Sardinas will bat second and play at third base. Sure shows likely the utility player when the season begins. Marte will be at shortstop however batting ninth. Besides Marte the only other regular player in the lineup today is Robinson Cano. Romero will be at first base to see if he can still be that right handed hitting bat. Steve Clevenger and Robert Brantley who are competing for the left handed bat at catcher both will be in the lineup. Clevenger will be the designated hitter while Brantley will be catching. The remaining two in the lineup will Efren Navarro in left and Daniel Robertson in right. Both of them likely will start the season in Triple A.  Good added depth to the team.

I expect that we will see more cuts, releases or players being sent down on the weekend since the Mariners are still around fifty players on the roster. So for now Go Mariners!