Update, 3:10 p.m. PT: There is still a chance that Diaz could leave the organization, but it’s unclear what he’ll do, as noted by MLBTradeRumors:

The lefty has a previous outright in his career, which means he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency. Since he just cleared waivers, it’s apparent that no club is willing to give him a 40-man spot, so he would be limited to minor league offers. With spring training just around the corner, it’s possible he decides to simply stick with the Mariners, which would give them some extra rotation depth.

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1:30 p.m. PT: The Seattle Mariners made a low-key roster move on Wednesday, as they outrighted left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Diaz to Triple-A Tacoma. He had been designated for assignment the other day when the team traded for Cooper Criswell.

Now 29 years old, Diaz is a five-year veteran of the Los Angeles Angels and Mariners. He’s made six total appearances for Seattle in the last two years, pitching to a 4.09 ERA (one start).

It’s always good to see have starting pitcher depth, especially for an M’s rotation that lost Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo at various times last season.

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Seattle currently has Logan Evans and Dane Dunning as starting depth, and Criswell can fill that void as well. However, Criswell is out of minor league options, so the Mariners could be forced to lose him at some point through the rest of the offseason. If that’s the case, having an additional starting option is critical. Emerson Hancock could also fill that role, but we’ve talked about his possibility of starting in the bullpen…

Diaz is also the only real left-handed starting option in the organization, which may not matter, but is interesting. Seattle hasn’t had a reliable lefty starter since Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales. Gonzales last played for the Mariners in 2023.

–Seattle will report to spring training in two weeks for the first workouts in Peoria, Ariz. As they get ready for that, there are still questions about the roster for 2026, including if the team could bring back third baseman Eugenio Suarez for a third go-round. He hit 49 home runs a season ago between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Mariners.

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–Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs announced that 2026 will be his final season before he retires. Rizzs addressed the media on Wednesday and delivered a memorable line about thinking the Mariners are going to win the World Series in the new campaign.

–The newest edition of the ‘Refuse to Lose’ podcast is out, in which we talk about Criswell’s addition, more comparisons between the Mariners and Seahawks, and are joined by baseball business reporter Maury Brown of Forbes, who talks about the pending labor strife and what’s at stake at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

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