The Mariners signed a lefty Josh Fleming on a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma, as the Tacoma Rainiers transferred Mike Curto to the X (link). Fleming elected free agency at the trade deadline after being designated for assignment by the Pirates last week.
Fleming, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Rays in the 2017 draft and spent his entire career in Tampa before the 2024 season. The southpaw made his major league debut in 2020 and enjoyed a strong rookie season with a 2.78 ERA and 4.40 FIP in seven appearances, including five starts, spanning 32 1/3 innings of work. Fleming struck out 19.2% of opponents in that first season as a big leaguer but topped that with an impressive 63.7% ground ball rate. Those strong results led to the Rays giving Fleming an extended role the following year as he posted a career-best 104 1/3 innings in 2021. Unfortunately, lefties have struggled in a big role and posted a 5.09 ERA, although it should be noted that his 4.27 FIP and 4.36 xFIP both indicate that he pitched better than that high-level run prevention number might suggest otherwise.
After his weak 2021 season, Fleming saw his role in Tampa diminish as he pitched just 35 innings with the big league club in 2022 followed by 51 2/3 innings of work in 2023. Also splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation, Fleming posted a combined 5.40 ERA with a 5.16 FIP, a 13.8% strikeout rate, and a 7.9% walk rate. He continued to produce grounders at an impressive 61.4% clip over those years until his 2023 season ended early due to elbow inflammation. A combination of injury concerns and ineffectiveness led the Rays to designate Fleming for assignment, and when he was picked off waivers by the Phillies the lefty became a free agent shortly thereafter when Philadelphia did not tender him.
The southpaw player ended up staying in Pennsylvania even though he did not receive a tender as he ended up signing with the Pirates on a separate contract in February. Fleming made the club's Opening Day roster in Spring Training and performed well in Pittsburgh in the first month of the season. Things took a turn for the worse in May, however, as Fleming allowed nine runs (eight earned) in three innings of work in four games before being pulled from the lineup. He stayed with the Pirates in the minors and finally returned to the roster in mid-June. He pitched well for the club following his return with a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings of work, though he did so with questionable peripherals as he walked more batters (five) than struck out (four). That led the Pirates to DFA again, although this time they decided to return to free agency rather than stay in the minor leagues with Pittsburgh.
Now, Fleming will join a Mariners organization that currently has only one lefty (reliever Tyler Saucedo) in the active list. Gabe Speier again Jonathan Diaz Both are likely to remain in the minors on the 40-man roster, though each has struggled at the big league level this year. That could leave a clear shot at Fleming's big league career if he can impress the Mariners with his performance at the Triple-A level, where he'll have to deal with the harsh conditions of the Pacific Coast League.
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