Just ahead of the official start of spring training, the Seattle Mariners had one more addition in store to upgrade the position-player group.
If there was any part of the roster that still needed reinforcements, it was the corner outfield. Seattle acquired some major insurance in the versatile All-Star Brendan Donovan, but he’s a natural second baseman these days, so bringing in someone who could push for playing time in right field made sense.
As the Mariners’ public relations social media account announced on Tuesday, outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe signed with Seattle on a minor-league deal. The 33-year-old also received a non-roster invite to spring training.
Joe, who was once a first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2014, has had a well-traveled professional career that has resulted in six seasons of major league experience, including three with at least 100 games played. However, he only saw 42 games of action last season for the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds.
A lifetime .239 hitter with a .717 major league OPS, Joe is likely best served as a short-sided platoon option at this point in his career. The Mariners have a right-handed right fielder in Victor Robles whom they gave a lengthy contract extension after the 2024 season, so it doesn’t seem likely Joe would be able to win a job without Robles or someone else in the outfield getting injured.
Anything can happen in spring training, however, so Joe just has to bring his A-game. If he doesn’t win a job with the Mariners, it’s always possible he could showcase his talents well enough for another team to trade for him or sign him after a potential early-spring opt-out.
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