Dane Dunning will be with the team in Peoria when camp opens up in 2.5 weeks.
The Seattle Mariners signed an interesting - and familiar name - to a minor league deal on Thursday afternoon, coming to terms with former Texas Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning.
The 31-year-old Dunning was a first-round pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2016 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox along with Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in 2017 for outfielder Adam Eaton and made his debut with Chicago in 2020. He made just seven appearance for Chicago before getting dealt to Texas for Lance Lynn in the offseason before the 2021 campaign.
Dunning went 5-10 for the rebuilding Rangers in 2021, pitching to a 4.51 ERA, and then he went 4-8 in 2022 with a 4.46 ERA in 2022.
He turned a corner in 2023, going 12-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 35 games (26 starts), helping the Rangers win the World Series over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2024, he went just 5-7 with a 5.31 ERA and he made only 12 appearances in 2025 between the Rangers and Atlanta Braves, going 0-0 with a 6.97 ERA.
What does this mean for the Mariners?
There's a few things that it could mean for Seattle, actually.
1) The Mariners figure to have Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller and George Kirby in the starting rotation as long as everyone is healthy. With a lot of experience, Dunning is a logical option in case someone is injured in spring training.
2) The Mariners also have Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans to serve as the emergency starters in the system, but if the team decides to keep Hancock as a reliever in 2026, then Dunning likely bumps up a spot. Hancock's role will be important to watch as spring training develops.
3) Perhaps Dunning could become a bullpen option for Seattle. He's made 34 relief appearances in his career.
About his opportunity
The Mariners aren't sending any of their starting rotation to the World Baseball Classic but several top relievers are headed to their national teams, meaning there should be substantial chances for Dunning to get innings in camp, which begins Feb. 12.
Also need to know
--The Mariners had four prospects in the Top 100 of the latest Baseball America rankings. Lazaro Montes was ranked as the No. 9 outfield prospect in the sport by MLB Pipeline.
--Julio Rodriguez was named as the No. 16 player in the game on the MLB Network countdown. Cal Raleigh is in the Top 10, which is revealed on Thursday.
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