Aug 18, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Seattle Mariners ball cap and glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Mariners defeat the Rangers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mariners Lose 5-Year Veteran Southpaw To Free Agency

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Nov 8, 2025 1:25 PM ET

Every Major League Baseball team grabs a few extra arms to fill out its organizational depth chart, and this year, the Seattle Mariners signed a pitcher with five years of big-league experience to a minor-league contract.

Lefty Josh Fleming, a former fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays who threw 254 2/3 innings in the majors from 2020 to 2024, signed with the Mariners in January. He spent virtually the entire season on the Triple-A Tacoma roster, throwing more innings out of the bullpen than anyone else on the roster.

Ultimately, Fleming never got his shot to pitch for the big-league team, which made sense given how proficient the Mariners were at run prevention. And with the season over, Fleming will get the chance to explore new opportunities.

Josh Fleming hits minor-league free agency

On Thursday, Fleming elected minor-league free agency, according to the official transactions log on his roster page.

Assuming he wants to keep playing, Fleming will look for a new minor-league deal that grants him an invitation to spring training with a club in February. He's out of options, so if he ever makes it back to the majors, he'll have to stay there for his team to avoid placing him on waivers.

Fleming had a nice seven-game cup of coffee with the Rays in 2020, but the following year, his ERA jumped to 5.09 in 104 1/3 innings, by far his largest major league sample size in a season. In total, for the Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates, his major league ERA sits at 4.77. In particular, he's struggled to generate swings and misses, with a career 5.7 K/9.

For Tacoma, Fleming was little more than a workhorse, tossing 84 1/3 innings but pitching to a 4.91 ERA with 44 strikeouts. He was even briefly released in June, but quickly re-signed with the Mariners on a second minor-league deal.

For a former Division III pitcher (for the hilariously-named Webster University Gorloks), Fleming has already had a standout professional career. But to advance any farther, he's got to find some way to get batters to stop making such easy contact against his arsenal.

More MLB: Mariners Lose Former Rookie Of The Year, All-Star Pitcher To Free Agency

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: