Magill announced his retirement Thursday via his personal Twitter account.
Magill calls an end to his 13-year career after not seeing action at the major-league or minor-league level in 2021. A 31st-round draft pick in 2008, Magill finishes his career with a 4.63 ERA over 149.2 innings in the majors.
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Matt Magill: Let go by M's
Rotowire
The Mariners released Magill on Saturday.
Seattle will let Magill pursue opportunities with other organizations after he failed to secure a spot in the Opening Day bullpen while attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee. The 31-year-old posted a 6.10 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 11 relief appearances with Seattle in 2020 before getting shut down in mid-September with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
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Mariners' Matt Magill: Control issues in debut
Rotowire
Magill (shoulder) worked around three walks during a scoreless sixth inning in a Cactus League tie with the White Sox on Friday, a game that marked his spring debut.
Magill underwent shoulder debridement surgery last September and was originally estimated to need a bit longer to be ready for game action this spring. Consequently, it was encouraging to see the veteran right-hander back on the mound within the first week of the Cactus League schedule as he begins his quest to garner an Opening Day bullpen spot following a difficult 2020 (6.10 ERA, 1.45 WHIP across 10.1 innings).
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Mariners' Matt Magill: Back with Mariners on minors deal
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Magill (shoulder) returned to Seattle on a minor-league contract Thursday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Magill elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the minors in late October, but he'll wind up back in the Mariners' minor-league system nonetheless. The righty recorded a 6.10 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 10.1 innings this season before being shut down with a shoulder injury which eventually required surgery. He's expected to be ready to go by spring training.
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Matt Magill: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Magill (shoulder) became a free agent Thursday after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma.
Magill struggled in his 11 relief appearances this season, posting a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings. He strained his shoulder in late August and wound up requiring surgery. Those two factors don't bode well for his prospects in free agency this winter, though his respectable 3.94 ERA over the previous two seasons could give teams reason to bet on a rebound.
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Mariners' Matt Magill: Undergoes surgery
Rotowire
Magill underwent surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday.
Magill was already slated to miss the remainder of the regular season after being transferred to the 45-day injured list. He underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday to aid in his recovery process. He's expected to begin his rehabilitation process immediately and should be ready in time for spring training in 2021.
The Mariners transferred Magill (shoulder) to the 45-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction spells an end to Magill's season, as the Mariners determined he wouldn't have sufficient time to recover from his right shoulder strain before the team wraps up its schedule in late September. Magill was believed to be a candidate to close for the Mariners heading into the season, but he blew both of the save chances he received prior to being shut down with the injury. His move to the 45-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Seth Frankoff.
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Mariners' Matt Magill: Placed on injured list
Rotowire
Magill was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Friday.
Magill had a very strong start to the season over his first eight appearances, but he's struggled in recent games. The right-hander gave up two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning, but his injury could help provide an explanation for his recent woes. It's unclear how much time Magill will miss. Zac Grotz was recalled from the Mariners' alternate training site in a corresponding move.
Magill allowed five runs on four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss versus the Dodgers on Monday.
Magill was the victim of the Dodgers' five-run rally in the seventh inning, and he exited the contest after Enrique Hernandez's two-run homer. Monday was the first time Magill allowed a run this season -- the bad outing put his ERA at 5.19 with a 1.38 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings. The 30-year-old should remain a key part of Seattle's bullpen, but his 16.2 percent walk rate has been a big problem in the early going.
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Mariners' Matt Magill: Thriving with revised approach
Rotowire
Magill, who's fired seven scoreless innings across seven appearances thus far this season, has succeeded by taking a more aggressive approach and also incorporating more breaking pitches, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'm really happy for Matt," manager Scott Servais said. "He has two awesome breaking balls. He throws the curveball hard down, and the slider with it. We haven't seen the velocity we saw sometimes last year, but the command of his breaking balls and the late bite to it is really effective."
Magill dealt with shoulder issues during spring training, and just when he was ready to jump into game action, play was paused for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The right-hander also began experiencing issues with the shoulder again while working out in his home during the shutdown, and he's still working on regaining his fastball velocity as a result. Magill is averaging 92.1 mph on his heater, a tumble from last season's 95.2 mph figure. However, he's been able to rely on his slider with success and has thrown it 41.7 percent of the time in 2020, compared to 18.8 percent last season. Like everyone else in the Mariners' bullpen, his role remains fluid, so he could eventually see some save chances after closing out five games successfully at the tail end of last season.
Mariners' Matt Magill: Effective despite no save chances
Rotowire
Magill, who fired a scoreless eighth inning during which he issued a walk in a loss to the Rockies on Saturday, has five scoreless appearances to open the season but no save chances.
Magill has allowed just a single hit over five innings overall, although he has issued four walks. The veteran's last three outings have been in Mariners losses, and although his first two appearances of the season occurred in victories, one unfolded in the fifth inning and the other in the eighth. Seattle has just a 5-11 record on the season entering Sunday, so it's not as if save chances have been plentiful; however, it's still noteworthy manager Scott Servais has yet to turn to Magill to close out a game despite the right-hander's impressive stuff and five saves down the stretch in 2019.
Mariners' Matt Magill: Used in fifth inning Sunday
Rotowire
Magill, who entered the season in line for save opportunities, worked the fifth inning in his 2020 debut Sunday against the Astros, firing a scoreless frame in which he allowed a hit and a walk while recording two strikeouts.
The 30-year-old was not called on in the first two games of the season, but manager Scott Servais summoned him early with starter Yusei Kikuchi not making it out of the fourth inning and Zac Grotz only utilized to get the last out of that frame. Magill impressively rang up swinging strikeouts of Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman to open his outing before yielding a single and walk to Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa, respectively. Despite his mid-game usage Sunday, Magill could conceivably still see time in high-leverage scenarios while Yoshihisa Hirano (illness) remains out of action.
Mariners' Matt Magill: In line for save opportunities
Rotowire
Magill could see additional closing opportunities with Yoshihisa Hirano (undisclosed) now on the injured list, although manager Scott Servais has said he plans to utilize more than one pitcher in the ninth-inning role, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Magill was already potentially in line for some save chances even if Hirano was available, but the right-hander now stands to possibly see even more time in high-leverage situations than originally planned. The 30-year-old is completely over the shoulder issue that plagued him for part of spring training, and he recorded five saves in seven opportunities in the later stages of the 2019 campaign.
