The Mariners have signed a right-handed hitter Junior Marte to a minor league deal, according to a report from Francys Romero. Romero adds that the deal includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Marte, 30 in February, signed with the Royals from the Dominican Republic and made his professional debut in 2013. With Kansas City, he worked his way up the minor league ranks until reaching minor league free agency after the canceled MiLB season in 2020, eventually signing a minor league contract with the Giants prior to the 2021 season. The right-hander spent two years in the Giants organization and pitched well in Triple-A despite the Pacific Coast League's bloated offensive environment, prompting Marte's promotion to San Francisco in April 2022.
In the majors, Marte amassed 48 innings in 39 appearances for the Giants. During that time, he posted a lackluster 5.44 ERA, although his peripheral numbers (including a 4.38 FIP and 3.80 xERA) were solid enough. He struck out just 20.6% of opponents while walking 10.3%, but was able to make up for it by generating poor contact, evidenced by an impressive 48.6% groundball rate and a microscopic 3-point walk rate .5% is occupied. That performance was solid enough to earn Marte a spot on the club's 40-man roster throughout the offseason, but he was still traded to Philadelphia in January in a southpaw trade Eric Miller.
Philly served as Marte's home base for each of the next two seasons, although he continued to struggle to produce big league results. While Marte impressed with a 1.80 ERA in 20 Triple-A innings in 2023, his time in the majors told a different story as he posted a 5.03 ERA with a 4.68 FIP over 39 1/2 gave up 3 frames. While Marte's strikeout, walk, and grounder rates improved, opposing hitters had more and more success blasting him, leading to an increase in home runs, which is perhaps not particularly surprising considering that He moved from San Francisco's Oracle Park to the Phillies' homer-happy home of Citizen Bank Park.
2024 was even worse for Marte, as the 29-year-old pitched to a 6.92 ERA and 5.63 FIP while posting the worst strikeout rate, walk rate, groundball rate, and home run rate. rate of his major league career. The disastrous results even carried over to Triple-A this season, where he posted a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings at that level. This led to the Phillies cutting Marte from their roster entirely earlier this month and him subsequently opting for free agency. The right-hander has now found a new home in Seattle and will have the opportunity to find his feet in an organization that boasts one of the best pitchers in the majors. This strong pitching staff could mean Marte faces an uphill battle in securing an Opening Day roster spot this spring, and failing to secure that roster spot will likely end the season if he does injury opens as a non-roster player for the Mariners.
