Brennan had recently signed as a minor league free agent with the Rockies.
LAS VEGAS — As expected, the Mariners selected a reliever in the Rule 5 draft Thursday to try and supplement a bullpen that has been decimated by trades.
Seattle selected right-hander Brandon Brennan from the Rockies with the 19th choice.
Brennan spent all of last season in the White Sox organization, but had recently signed as a six-year minor-league free agent with Colorado. He’s got a fastball that sits from 92 to 95 mph with a slider and a change-up.
“He was a guy we went after as a six-year free agent, but lost out to the Rockies,” said Tom Allison, the Mariners director of scouting. “But he’s somebody we kept tabs on in this part of the draft. Opportunity is what he needs the most and we have that to give him.”
Brennan, 27, spent the majority of the 2018 season with Class AA Birmingham, but also appeared in four games with AAA Charlotte. He combined to go 5-4 with one save and a 3.25 ERA (27 earned runs, 74 2/3 innings) in 44 relief appearances and one start in the White Sox minor-league system last season. He limited opponents to a .205 (57 for 278) average while walking 24 and striking out 79.
“We feel like we can make some tweaks to this guy,” Allison said. “He’s got really good offspeed pitches in his change-up and slider. We hope we can turn him into a valuable player at the big-league level. He’s a really good competitor.
A player selected in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 draft must be kept on the 25-man roster of the drafting team for the entirety of the season. He must remain active (not on the disabled list) for at least 90 days. If the player does not remain on the major-league roster, he is offered back to the team from which he was selected.