SEATTLE, Wash. – Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced Saturday the following roster move:
John Andreoli, OF, claimed off waivers by Baltimore.
Matt Festa, RHP, recalled from AA Arkansas.
Christian Bergman, RHP, optioned to AAA Tacoma.
Andreoli, 28, was designated for assignment Friday. He had 3 stints with the Mariners this season: May 23-28, July 7-9 and July 20. Overall this season with the Mariners, he went 1-for-5 (.200) with 1 walk in 3 games. He made his Major League debut with the Mariners on May 23 at Oakland and went 1-for-3 with a walk while also making a sliding catch in right field to rob a base hit in the 8th inning. In 89 games with AAA Tacoma, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound outfielder hit .287 (94×327) with 54 runs, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs, 36 RBI, 55 walks, 19 stolen bases and a .397 on-base percentage. He was on the Rainiers disabled list from April 22 to May 2 with a sprained finger on his right hand.
Andreoli was signed by Seattle as a minor league free agent on Dec. 8, 2017. The Worchester, MA, native was drafted by Chicago-NL in the 17th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Connecticut. In 8 minor league seasons (2011-current), he’s appeared in 773 games, hitting a combined .270 (745×2763) with 127 doubles, 44 triples, 37 home runs and 256 RBI with 247 stolen bases.
Festa, 25, is appearing in his 2nd stint with the Mariners this season (also: 7/14-15). He made his Major League debut with Seattle on July 14 at Colorado, tossing 0.2 scoreless innings in relief. He was selected from AA Arkansas prior to the game on July 14 before being optioned back to Arkansas following the game on July 15. In 39 relief appearances with the Travelers this season, he has successfully converted 18-of-18 save opportunities this season, while posting a record of 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA (13 ER, 43.1 IP). The 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-hander has struck out 58 while walking only 10 (5.80 K/BB ratio). Festa’s 18 saves currently lead the Texas League.
The native of Brooklyn, NY, attended Dominican (NY) College in 2012 before transferring to East Stroudsburg University, where he became the highest draft pick in program history after the Mariners selected him in the 7thround of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Bergman, 30, was recalled from AAA Tacoma on Wednesday (8/15) for his 3rd stint with the Mariners this season (also: 5/16-17 and 7/13). He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (2 home runs) while walking 1 and striking out 2 in 2.2 innings in relief last night vs. the Dodgers. In 3 games (2 starts) with the Mariners this season, Bergman is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA (9 ER, 14.0 IP) with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks. On May 16 vs. Texas, he tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits while striking out 5. In 23 games (22 starts) with AAA Tacoma this season, he is 7-9 with a 5.44 ERA (75 ER, 124.0 IP) with 100 strikeouts and 33 walks.
Bergman has appeared in parts of 5 Major League seasons with Colorado (2014-16) and Seattle (2017-c), compiling a record of 11-15 with a 5.59 ERA (134 ER, 215.2 IP) with 130 strikeouts and 49 walks in 71 games (25 starts). The native of Glendale, CA, was originally selected by Colorado in the 24th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of UC Irvine. He made his Major League debut with the Rockies on June 9, 2014 vs. Atlanta.
