The Mariners have added another arm to the mix, signing Simeon Woods Richardson to a minor league contract and assigning him to Triple-A Tacoma, where the Rainiers announced his arrival.
It’s a fresh landing spot for a pitcher who has already bounced around plenty this season. Woods Richardson was waived by the Blue Jays yesterday, elected free agency, and is now with his third organization of the year after opening the season in Minnesota’s rotation.
The 25-year-old arrived in the majors with real prospect buzz as a former second-round pick, and he had settled in as a league-average starter for the Twins across 2024-25. Over those two seasons, he posted a 4.11 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout percentage in 51 appearances, with all but one coming as a starter. That work earned him a place in Minnesota’s rotation to begin 2026.
This year has gone in the opposite direction. Woods Richardson’s ERA climbed to nearly 8.00 with Minnesota, and he eventually lost his rotation job. The Twins moved him to the bullpen in mid-May, then cut bait a couple of weeks later by designating him for assignment and trading him to Toronto for cash.
Toronto kept him stretched out as a starter in Triple-A, but when he got his MLB chance, he worked mostly as a long reliever. The results were uneven: eight runs allowed in 18 1/3 innings for a 3.93 ERA, but also 12 walks and just 14 strikeouts. Even with the decent run prevention, he went unclaimed on waivers twice this season.
Seattle’s need is obvious enough. The club still has a full five-man rotation, but Emerson Hancock went down with an adductor strain over the weekend.
The Mariners also don’t have any other starting pitchers on optional assignment. Jhonathan Díaz and Carson Fulmer are in Tacoma’s rotation as non-roster depth, though both have struggled even by Pacific Coast League standards.
If Seattle never brings Woods Richardson up, he’d return to free agency at season’s end.
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Mariners Take A Chance On A Former Top Prospect With Upside
The Mariners added a familiar kind of lottery ticket to their pitching depth, signing right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to a minor-league contract and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. Once regarded as one of the better young arms in the system, Woods Richardson has already seen the majors with both the Blue Jays and Twins, and his path has taken him through a designation for assignment by Toronto before he elected free agency.
For Seattle, the move fits the sort of low-cost gamble contenders often make when they believe there is still something to unlock. Woods Richardson gives the organization another arm to evaluate in Tacoma, where the Mariners can keep a close eye on a pitcher who made his big-league debut in 2022 and is still young enough to factor if the stuff and command come together again. [Read more 🡒]
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Joe now has a decision to make, since he has the right to elect free agency, and the Mariners have not indicated whether he plans to stay in the organization or test the market. Kinghams path is more straightforward because his service time means he has to accept the assignment, but Joes situation is the one that lingers for Seattle, where every roster spot matters and every fringe move can hint at what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Have Found A Better Use For Their Latest Pitching Add
The Mariners added another arm to their system by signing right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to a minor-league deal and sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. Most of his big-league work has come as a starter, but he has also handled multiple roles this season, which makes him an interesting fit for a Seattle pitching staff that suddenly needs more flexibility.
With rotation depth thinned by an injury, the appeal here is less about where Woods Richardson has traditionally worked and more about where he might help most. Seattle can use pitching in just about any form right now, and his ability to cover innings gives the club another option if it wants to patch a game together out of the bullpen or lean on a bulk reliever while the roster sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]