Former Baltimore Orioles Reliever Gets Minor League Deal From Seattle Mariners

One of the former Baltimore Orioles bullpen arms is going out west to try and revitalize his career on a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Sep 6, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (14) pitches during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

As the Baltimore Orioles look to become perennial contenders with this core group of players, they are searching high and wide for ways to achieve those goals.

That included being busy at the start of the offseason by making changes to the organization and coaching staff, something that seemed likely to come following their second consecutive sweep out of the playoffs.

Without Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander on the roster, this Orioles team looks weaker than last year's at this point in the winter, but the front office is still searching for some upgrades.

One of the areas that does look improved is their bullpen.

Since Felix Bautista is coming back from Tommy John surgery and Albert Suarez is scheduled to operate in the swingman role, they are much deeper than they were in 2024.

But, if they are still looking for other options, whether they would be contributors or depth pieces, one of their former players is no longer available.

Per Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Seattle Mariners have a agreed to a minor league deal with Shintaro Fujinami, the flamethrowing right-hander who spend the second half of the 2023 season with Baltimore after they acquired him ahead of the deadline.

Originally a starting pitcher with the Athletics when they signed him out of Japan in January of that year, he was moved into the bullpen after early struggles and showcased enough to garner interest on the trade market.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out for the Orioles or Fujinami.

In his 30 appearances with the team, he posted a 4.85 ERA and 85 ERA+.

Baltimore let him walk in free agency after the season where he signed a deal with the New York Mets. But a shoulder strain in May eventually landed him on the 60-day injured list and prevented him from getting called up to the bigs.

Now, he'll look to get his career on track with the Mariners.