The Seattle Mariners have decided to take a chance on right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson, signing the former highly regarded prospect to a minor league contract. The move gives the young pitcher another opportunity to rebuild his career after a challenging 2026 campaign that has already seen him move between multiple organizations.
Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, confirmed that Woods Richardson has been added to their roster. The signing provides the 25-year-old with another chance to work his way back toward the major leagues and potentially prove that the struggles he has experienced this season do not represent the pitcher he can ultimately become.
Woods Richardson recently became a free agent after being designated for assignment and subsequently going unclaimed on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. Interestingly, this was not the first time Toronto had exposed him to the waiver process this season. The Blue Jays had previously placed him on waivers, only for every team to pass on the opportunity to acquire him.
Now, with Seattle, Woods Richardson will be joining his third organization of the 2026 season. He originally began the campaign with the Minnesota Twins, where he was expected to play an important role in the team’s starting rotation.
His journey this season has been a sharp contrast to the progress he appeared to be making over the previous two years.
Woods Richardson entered 2026 with a respectable major league track record. A former second-round draft selection, he had developed into one of Minnesota’s promising young pitching options. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he made 51 appearances for the Twins, with all but one of those outings coming as a starter.
Across that stretch, he posted a combined 4.11 ERA and recorded a 21.5% strikeout rate. While those numbers did not establish him as one of the league’s dominant starters, they demonstrated that he was capable of competing effectively at the major league level.
That consistency was enough for Minnesota to give him a spot in its starting rotation when the 2026 season began. However, things quickly went in the wrong direction.
Woods Richardson struggled badly during his time in the Twins’ rotation, with his ERA climbing to nearly 8.00. The poor results eventually forced Minnesota to reconsider his role. Rather than immediately removing him from the organization, the Twins attempted to use him in a different capacity.
In the middle of May, the club moved Woods Richardson from the starting rotation to the bullpen. The transition, however, did not ultimately lead to a long-term solution. Only a couple of weeks later, Minnesota decided to designate him for assignment.
The Twins eventually traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, giving Woods Richardson a fresh start with a new organization.
Toronto initially continued to develop him as a starting pitcher at the Triple-A level. However, when he received an opportunity in the major leagues, the Blue Jays primarily used him as a long reliever rather than inserting him into the starting rotation.
His run prevention numbers in Toronto were considerably better than what he had produced earlier in Minnesota. Woods Richardson surrendered eight runs over 18 1/3 innings, resulting in a 3.93 ERA. On the surface, that represented a significant improvement.
However, there were still concerns surrounding his overall performance.
During those 18 1/3 innings, Woods Richardson walked 12 batters while striking out just 14. The lack of swing-and-miss ability, combined with the number of free passes he issued, likely contributed to teams being hesitant to take a chance on him when Toronto placed him on waivers.
Toronto ultimately placed him on waivers twice this season, and on both occasions, every other club passed on the opportunity to claim him.
That opened the door for Seattle.
The Mariners’ decision to sign Woods Richardson comes at a particularly interesting time for their pitching staff. Seattle currently has a five-man starting rotation, but the organization recently lost Emerson Hancock after the right-hander suffered an adductor strain over the weekend.
Hancock’s injury creates additional uncertainty and could potentially give the Mariners another reason to explore their organizational pitching depth.
At the moment, Seattle does not have another traditional starting pitcher on optional assignment who is immediately available to step into the rotation. Jhonathan Díaz and Carson Fulmer are both part of Tacoma’s starting rotation and provide non-roster depth, but neither has produced particularly strong numbers in the Pacific Coast League this season.
That situation could give Woods Richardson an opportunity to distinguish himself.
By joining Tacoma, Woods Richardson will have the chance to pitch regularly as he works to rediscover the form that made him a legitimate prospect in the first place. Seattle can monitor his progress closely and determine whether he can eventually provide useful depth at the major league level.
The Mariners are not necessarily expecting Woods Richardson to immediately become a key part of their pitching staff. Instead, the minor league agreement represents a relatively low-risk opportunity to add a pitcher with previous major league experience and a history of showing promise.
For Woods Richardson, the move could be even more important. At just 25 years old, he still has plenty of time to turn his career around. Pitchers often experience setbacks early in their careers, and a strong stretch in Tacoma could help him regain confidence and attract another major league opportunity.
His previous success with Minnesota suggests that the talent is still there. The challenge now is finding consistency, limiting walks, and recovering the strikeout ability that helped make him an intriguing pitching prospect.
Woods Richardson’s future with Seattle will ultimately depend on what happens over the remainder of the season. If he performs well at Triple-A, the Mariners could consider him when another pitching need arises.
If he remains in the minors throughout the campaign, he is expected to return to free agency at the end of the season, giving him another opportunity to evaluate his options.
For now, however, Seattle has provided Woods Richardson with a new organization, a fresh environment and another chance to prove himself.
After beginning the season as a member of the Twins’ starting rotation, moving to Toronto, and eventually becoming a free agent, the right-hander now finds himself in Tacoma trying to revive his career.
The Mariners will hope that their latest minor league signing can turn into a valuable piece of pitching depth. Woods Richardson, meanwhile, will be looking to show that his disappointing 2026 season was only a temporary setback rather than a sign of where his career is headed.
