Seattle Mariners Minor League Pitcher to Join Nippon Professional Baseball Club

Yunior Marte will be throwing for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan in 2025 rather than in the Mariners farm system.

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Yunior Marte throws against the Cincinnati Reds on April 23, 2024, at Great American Ballpark. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners had a mass exodus of minor league players over the course of the offseason. More than 30 players departed the organization either via free agency or retirement. And the Mariners have supplemented those losses throughout the break the lead up to spring training.

And one of the veteran pitchers Seattle signed to a minor league deal to rebuild depth instead will be throwing in Japan.

Yunior Marte, who last threw in the major leagues in 2024 with the Philadelphia Phillies, agreed to terms to pitch for Nippon Professional Baseball's Chunichi Dragons. He'll join another former Seattle minor league player, Jason Vosler, with the Dragons.

The deal is worth $1.25 million in 2025 with $200,000 in incentives. Chunichi also paid the Mariners a release fee. This information came via a report from baseball reporter Francys Romero.

Dominican right-hander pitcher Yunior Marte signed with the Chunichi Dragons in NBP for a base salary of $1.25 million in 2025, plus $200k in incentives, per sources.

The Dragons paid the Seattle Mariners a release fee.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) February 6, 2025

Marte originally signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic with the Kansas City Royals on July 29, 2012.

Marte made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and posted a 5.44 ERA across 39 appearances with 44 strikeouts across 48 innings pitched.

The past two seasons, Marte played for the Phillies and posted a total ERA of 5.79 across 63 appearances with 61 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched.

He has a 2-2 career record between the two teams.

Yunior Marte's 3Ks in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/YOZXl2pM3S

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 12, 2024

Despite his struggles at the major league level, Marte was an experienced veteran who likely could have gotten some valuable innings in Triple-A and served as an emergency option for Seattle. But it looks like the Mariners will have to depend on other veterans and enjoy the little bit of extra cash that came from Chunichi paying Marte's release fee.

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