Former Seattle Mariners Reliever Matt Festa Returns to AL West on Minor League Deal
The Seattle Mariners will have several relievers return to the fold in 2024. Matt Brash and Gregory Santos missed the majority or all of 2024 with various injuries. Both are expected to be ready either early in 2025 or to start the season.
Another former Mariners reliever will also be returning to the American League West after a brief stint in the National League in the offseason.
Former Seattle pitcher Matt Festa reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on Feb. 6, just a day after he elected free agency.
Festa pitched for the Mariners from 2020-23 but wasn't heavily featured aside from 2021, where he made 53 appearances. Festa posted a 4.32 ERA in 89 total appearances and struck out 102 batters in 93.2 innings pitched.
Matt Festa, Dirty 83mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/4oIPnFSvU4
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 16, 2022
Festa was released by Seattle on Aug. 8, 2023, and ended up spending portions of 2024 with the New York Mets and Rangers.
Festa had 19 outings in 2024. Eighteen of them were with Texas. He had a 4.37 ERA and fanned 23 batters in 22.2 innings pitched.
After last season, the Rangers designated Festa for assignment on Jan. 6 and traded him to the Chicago Cubs for cash three days later.
Chicago apparently didn't see Festa in its long-term plans and DFA'd him on Jan. 28 before sending him outright to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on Feb. 3. He elected free agency on Feb. 5.
Festa was clearly comfortable with Texas and will be in spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Depending on how Festa does in spring training, there's a chance the Mariners familiarity with him will be tested during the regular season.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
LOGAN GILBERT, CAL RALEIGH NAMED TO MLB NETWORK TOP 100: The ace of the Seattle Mariners pitching staff and the club's starting catcher both were recognized during MLB Network's Top 100 Right Now series. CLICK HERE
VIDEO SHOWS RANDY AROZARENA PREPARING FOR 2025 SEASON: The Mariners crown jewel of the 2024 trade deadline is hard at work preparing for spring training and the 2025 season. CLICK HERE
MARINERS FRONT OFFICE ANTICIPATED SLOW OFFSEASON: The team's President of Baseball Operations said in a news conference that the slow offseason was expected by the organization. CLICK HERE
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
