Mariners claim LHP José Suarez off waivers from Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 10: José Suarez #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the eighth inning during the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr. /Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Mariners, suddenly drawing from their depth a month into the season, made a waiver claim today, picking up lefty José Suarez from Atlanta.

Mariners fans likely remember Suarez from his lengthy Angels tenure, from the time he signed with the Angels as a free agent out of Venezuela to 2024. Prior to the 2025 season, the Angels traded him to Atlanta in exchange for injury-prone pitcher Ian Anderson (later DFA’d by the Angels and re-claimed by Atlanta). Atlanta transitioned the short king (listed 5’10”) to the bullpen and edited his pitch mix, dropping his sweeper and tweaking his slider to be shorter and more of a traditional gyro slider, resulting in more whiffs on the pitch.

Command remains an issue for Suarez, something that’s persisted since his days as an Angel. Although he had a solid first season as a Brave, this year has been a struggle, leading to much sturm und drang amongst the Braves fanbase, who are all too happy to see Suarez go. As for how he fits in the Mariners bullpen, that’s a bit of a puzzle; the Mariners have a third lefty (with his own command issues, even) in Josh Simpson, although Simpson has options, where Suarez does not.

However, the Mariners are well-familiar with Suarez, having seen him for so many years in the AL West, so there must be something there the pitching brain trust hopes to unlock. The other bonus Suarez brings is length; as a former starter, he can cover multiple innings if necessary, which it’s been more often than not lately as three-fifths of the Mariners rotation continue to turn in shorter outings. In a corresponding move, OF Rhylan Thomas was designated for assignment.