Mariners Outright Pitcher Jhonathan Díaz

The 29-year-old lefty clears waivers and heads to Triple-A Tacoma.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 4:31pm

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The Seattle Mariners have outrighted pitcher Jhonathan Díaz to their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma after he cleared waivers. Díaz, a 29-year-old left-hander, has limited major league experience over the past five seasons, pitching just 46 1/3 innings at the MLB level.

Why it matters

The Mariners have a strong starting rotation with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller, leaving little room for Díaz to crack the big league roster. This move allows the Mariners to retain Díaz as rotation depth in the minors, while giving him the option to elect free agency if he chooses not to remain with the organization.

The details

Díaz was designated for assignment last week when the Mariners acquired Cooper Criswell from the Mets. He has the right to reject the outright assignment and elect free agency, but may choose to stay with the Mariners organization and provide rotation depth at Triple-A Tacoma. Over the past three seasons in the Pacific Coast League, Díaz has a 4.33 ERA in 343 1/3 innings with a 21.2% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate.

  • Díaz was designated for assignment on January 21, 2026.
  • The Mariners announced the outright of Díaz to Triple-A Tacoma on January 28, 2026.

The players

Jhonathan Díaz

A 29-year-old left-handed pitcher who has appeared in five MLB seasons with limited action, totaling 46 1/3 innings with a 4.66 ERA.

Seattle Mariners

A Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington that plays in the American League West division.

Cooper Criswell

A pitcher acquired by the Mariners from the New York Mets in a recent trade.

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What’s next

If Díaz elects free agency, he will be able to sign with any team as a minor league free agent. If he remains with the Mariners organization, he will report to Triple-A Tacoma to provide rotation depth.

The takeaway

This move allows the Mariners to retain Díaz as pitching depth in the minors, while giving him the flexibility to explore other opportunities if he chooses. With a strong starting rotation already in place, Díaz faced an uphill battle to crack the big league roster in Seattle.