Popular Seattle Mariners Catcher Rejects Outright Assignment and is Headed For Free Agency

Popular Seattle Mariners catcher Luis Torrens is headed for free agency after rejecting an outright assignment to the minor leagues.

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

ANALYSIS
Torrens was pushed off the Mariners' 40-man roster Tuesday and opted to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma. He's a career .227/.289/.354 hitter in 807 major-league plate appearances, but the 27-year-old could get a look as catching depth with some other organization.

This is a move that will undoubtedly hurt some Mariners fans, as Torrens was a very likeable player. He was part of the roster that helped break the playoff drought in 2022 and even was the team's winning pitcher in a late-season game in 2022 against the Detroit Tigers. He also got a game-winning hit in 2022 in an epic 1-0 win over the New York Yankees. There was a just fun-factor when Torrens was involved in Seattle.

Now, he'll look for another opportunity. If he doesn't find one, he could end up in Seattle again as the two sides clearly have an affinity for the other. 

In addition to the Mariners, he's appeared in big league games for the Padres and Cubs. He made his major league debut with San Diego back in 2017. His best season was for the 2021 Mariners, when he hit 15 homers and drove in 47. Not known as a great catcher defensively, he does have a reputation for hitting left-handed pitching. He's a .244 career hitter against southpaws with 13 of his 19 career homers coming against them.

He should get an opportunity in 2024, if even on a minor league deal.