Mariners Zach Pop Agree To Minor League Dea

The Mariners and right-hander have agreed to a minor league contract, . The Blue Jays designated Pop for a signment at the end of spring training when they needed a 40-man roster spot. The out-of-options righty was battling elbow inflammation at the time, and since injured players cant be placed on outright waivers, the Jays instead had to . He became a free agent a couple weeks ago and will now join the fifth organization of his profe sional career. Pop, 28, was Michel Briere Jersey a seventh-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2017. Los Angeles traded him and four others to the Orioles in the 2018 blockbuster, and hes since pitched with the Marlins and Blue Jays organizations. The 64 righty has logged big league time in each of the past four seasons, working to a combined 4.45 ERA with a sub-par 18.4% strikeout rate, a solid 7.9% walk rate and an excellent 55% ground-ball rate. The 2024 season was a struggle for Pop, who pitched to a grisly 5.59 ERA over the course of 48 1/3 innings. With his sinker being hit harder than usual in 2023-24, Pop began to incorporate a cutter a couple months into the season. The pitch showed some promise, generating plenty of pop-ups and whiffs when chased off the plate, but Pop also misfired with it too often and served up three of his nine homers on the new offering despite only throwing it at a 12.3% clip. If the Mariners can help Pop refine that cutter or perhaps implement a new third offering, he could yet emerge as a reliable bullpen arm. He sits 96 mph with his sinker, which is plenty in terms of velocity, and his slider has long graded as a quality offering. The pitch mi ses bats, and opponents have slugged only .328 against it when making contact. Add in his lofty ground-ball numbers and its easy enough to see why the Mariners feel they may be able to coax another level out of him, even if the results over the past couple seasons have been rough. Earl Ingarfield Jersey