Rob Refsnyder may have retired over joining Mariners rival

A week after being released by the Seattle Mariners, Rob Refsnyder may be calling it a career.

Not only that, but he reportedly decided against an offer to join the Mariners’ chief division rival.

Seattle Mariners claim pitcher away from rival Texas Rangers

Brian McTaggart, who covers the Houston Astros for MLB.com, said Refsnyder and the Astros were “close” to agreeing to a deal but that he “heard (Refsnyder) retired instead.” The news came in the form of a reply on social media by McTaggart in a thread stemming from the Astros claiming Nelson Velázquez, who like Refnsyder is an outfielder who hits from the right side, off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

The Astros (61-59) currently lead the AL West, while the Mariners (56-63) are 4 1/2 games back in the division after losing 19 of their last 28 games.

Refsnyder was released by the Mariners on Aug. 4, a day after they acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles just ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Refsnyder was then one of a few righty-hitting outfielders in free agency linked to the Astros in an article from The Athletic on Aug. 7.

The 35-year-old Refsynder was an offseason signing by Seattle who had a reputation as one of the best bats in baseball against left-handed pitching in recent seasons. He was a disappointment for the Mariners, however, hitting just .140 with four home runs, a double, 11 RBIs and eight walks to 37 strikeouts for a minus-1.0 bWAR in 53 games.

Refsnyder returned to the M’s on July 28 from a month on the injured list with right knee inflammation. He went 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs in a 7-6 win over the Dodgers in his first game back, but was 0 for 5 with a walk in three games after.

Prior to his time with Seattle, Refsnyder played for the New York Yankees (2015-17), Toronto Blue Jays (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Texas Rangers (2020), Minnesota Twins (2021) and Boston Red Sox (2022-25). Initially a utility player and later a platoon bat, the University of Arizona product never played more than 93 games in a season over his 11-year MLB career. He played every position on the field except for pitcher, catcher and shortstop in the big leagues.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Mariners unveil the top 50 players in franchise history
• Two Mariners trade deadline nuggets from MLB insiders
• Morosi: The missing piece Seattle Mariners’ offense needs

Related

Rick Rizzs ‘still walking on a cloud’ after Mariners HOF revealMariners claim pitcher away from AL West rival Texas RangersReport: D-backs to DFA former Mariners closer Paul SewaldM’s trade addition Boston Smith hits 5 HRs in first 6 games with AA ArkansasAL-best Rays beat Mariners 4-1 to complete sweepMariners come up short in 3-2 loss to Rays