The Mariners claim Hagen Danner off waivers from the Blue Jays

Danner was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft by the Blue Jays, starting his professional career as a catcher. After three seasons in the minor leagues as a catcher, he started to pitch and made his debut in 2021 with the High-A Vancouver Canadians where he had a 2.02 ERA and a 3.61 FIP in 35.2 innings pitched with a 29.4 K% and an 8.4 BB%.

Because of this season, the Blue Jays added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Unfortunately, Danner missed most of the 2022 season due to injury, only pitching 3.2 innings with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher returned to action in 2023, pitching in Double-A, but mainly with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons where he had a .381 ERA and a 5.51 FIP in 28.1 innings pitched. Altogether, Danner finished with a 3.66 ERA and a 4.15 FIP in 39.1 innings pitched, with a 35.7 K% and a 7 BB% in 2023.

In fact, he even made his Major League Baseball debut in 2023, pitching a third of an inning with the Jays before an oblique injury ended his season.

Danner pitched in Triple-A in 2024, posting a 3.15 ERA and a 4.24 FIP in 34.1 innings pitched, with a 23.3 K% and an 8.9 BB%. More importantly, his HR/9 dropped from 2.54 in 2023 to 1.05 in 2024, which helped the FIP drop over a full run.

The 26-year-old has the makings of a useful late-innings reliever. Danner’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, while he has two secondary pitches in his plus slider and an above-average curveball. Despite catching for his first three professional seasons, Danner is also able to command all three pitches well. 

As long as Danner can remain healthy, he’ll have a successful big league career.  The Blue Jays might have really dropped the ball on this one.