Amid trade rumors, Flexen set on proving himself

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chris Flexen beamed after his Cactus League debut on Monday when he showed off an adorable picture of his new daughter, Stella, who had donned a bow intertwined with baseball seams and was displaying perhaps an even bigger grin than her dad in the moment.

Flexen and his wife, Raven, welcomed Stella in November, and her presence has led to a perspective shift on what’s important and a reprieve from angst and uncertainty as trade rumors swirl around the Mariners veteran.

Flexen is entering his third season in Seattle, but based on the Mariners' starting pitching depth and the fact that they shopped him and fellow starter Marco Gonzales ahead of last year’s Trade Deadline, he might be Seattle's clearest trade candidate. For the 28-year-old who resurrected his career here, it’s been an anxious process.

“I think putting it all away and not thinking about it is almost impossible,” Flexen said. “It's all over, especially with social media and everything. But for me personally, I try not to let it get to me and focus on what I need to focus on. And that's being ready to be the best self that I can be, and be[ing] ready to compete for this ballclub.”

Like Gonzales, Flexen was not included on the Mariners’ postseason roster for the American League Wild Card Series or the AL Division Series last season. Like Gonzales, he pitches with a chip on his shoulder after tumbling out of the Majors and reviving himself pitching in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2020. And like Gonzales, he’s been floated in trade conversations since last summer. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Flexen said Gonzales is “basically like an older brother.”

“It wasn't the best,” Flexen said of navigating the rumors this offseason. “But again, like I said, I'm still wearing 'Mariners' across my chest. I'm happy to be here. This is a great group of guys. They're fun to be around, and it’s fun to lace it up with them every night.”

Flexen threw two scoreless innings against the White Sox on Monday, giving up two hits and striking out two. Notably, his outing represented a much stronger Spring Training start than in years past. Flexen was pitching ahead in counts after consistently falling behind last year, and his slider -- the pitch he worked tirelessly to polish last summer -- felt solid. Flexen believes that having a true breaking ball, something he lacked last season, will lead to more consistency.

The Mariners are stretching Flexen out as a starter, in what could be a blend of creating insurance should one of their pitchers go down and maintaining his value should they deal him before Opening Day. Flexen will earn $8 million this year and will be a free agent next offseason. Sources suggested that trade proposals from other teams for Flexen haven’t been significant, but that could change based on need and urgency.

“I am happy he's back,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I do think he'll play a very important role for us at different points throughout the season, and I don't know when that's going to happen. I do think it's really important, and we are going to stretch him out and he is going to start in camp. I do think his value there is good. He's looked very good early on. The stuff is up.”

If they remain, Flexen and Gonzales will round out a rotation of six capable arms. The four in front of them -- Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby -- are locks. It’s unclear how the Mariners will handle Nos. 5-6 should everyone remain healthy, but they have ruled out using a six-man rotation as they did in 2021, when the larger staff was a tool to manage workloads for young arms.

Flexen moved to the bullpen after the club acquired Castillo ahead of last year’s Deadline, and he pitched well, but sparingly. He had a 3.71 ERA in 26 2/3 innings over 13 outings (two starts) in the final two months of the season, holding hitters to a .217/.282/.392 (.674 OPS) slash line. The Mariners thought his pitching profile was more conducive to pitching in relief than Gonzales’.

That said, Flexen's 2022 numbers represented a step back from ‘21, when he was the Mariners’ Pitcher of the Year. He watched a lot of video from that season this offseason, the logic being that sometimes, rather than trying something new, trying something old is a path to success.

Flexen is dead set on a rebound of sorts -- and he hopes it comes in Seattle.