Former Blue Jays top prospect claimed by Seattle Mariners
Hagen Danner's time with the Toronto Blue Jays has officially come to an end. The right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
Danner was designated for assignment by Toronto back in December after the team signed relief pitcher Josh Walker. The move came as somewhat of a surprise given that he had just been given an extra option year.
Normally, once a player is designated for assignment (or DFA'd), the team then has seven days to trade, release, or outright him. However that timeframe is paused during the offseason. That is why Danner was in DFA limbo for nearly a month.
Danner's career with the Blue Jays ended unceremoniously. He was removed from his major league debut with an oblique strain after only facing one batter. He missed the rest of 2023 and spent all of 2024 in the minor leagues.
Danner has had a somewhat unusual career path. He was both a pitcher and a catcher at Huntington High School in California. In his senior year he hit .350 with 12 home runs while also going 11-1 on the mound.
The Blue Jays drafter him as a catcher in the 2nd round (61st overall pick) of the 2017 draft. After limited success as a hitter, he switched to the mound full time in 2021. In his first full season as a pitcher with High-A Vancouver, Danner went 2-1 with a 2.02 ERA and 42 strike outs in 35.2 innings.
Although he has a minor league option, Danner has a good chance of starting the year in the Mariners bullpen after going 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA and seven saves between Dunedin and Buffalo last year.
If Danner does up end making the cut out of Spring Training, look for the Mariners to use him in a middle relief role.
