Former Orioles pitcher joins AL West foe ahead of spring training

While there aren't a ton of transactions going on right now as the free agent market plods along, there was some news for a former member of the Orioles. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on Tuesday that Joey Krehbiel signed a minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Former Oriole Joey Krehbiel joins Seattle Mariners on minor-league contract

The move officially ends Krehbiel's time with the Orioles after he was DFA'd and then released by the team in November. He spent most of 2023 with Triple A Norfolk, only making six appearances with the Orioles. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks in five innings pitched last year in the majors.

Krehbiel's best season in the bigs came in 2022 with the Orioles, his first full season in the majors and third in total. He ended the year with a 3.90 ERA, 4.67 FIP, and 1.231 WHIP, averaging 2.8 walks per nine and exactly seven strikeouts per nine while picking up one save in 57 2/3 innings over 56 appearances.

The contract with the Mariners comes with an invite to major league spring training, so the Mariners will give Krehbiel a chance to win a spot in the bullpen to open the season. He has one season of minor league options remaining, so the Mariners can shuffle him between the majors and Triple A should they add him to the 40-man roster.

Over parts of four seasons, Krehbiel has pitched for the Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He has a career 3.65 ERA, 4.74 FIP and 1.189 WHIP in 70 appearances. He's averaged 6.9 strikeouts per nine and 3.3 walks per nine in 74 innings pitched.

With the Orioles, it was clear that Krehbiel was probably on the way out with how the season ended. For his sake, hopefully he gets a good shot with the Mariners organization. Best of luck to you Joey.