Kowar, 29, is a former additional first-round pick of the Royals. He allowed 79 runs in 74 innings over parts of three seasons with Kansas City. They traded him to the Braves for an injured starter Kyle Wright during the 2023-2024 offseason. Kowar’s time with the organization lasted less than a month, when the Braves sent him to Seattle as part of the multiplayer deal that saw him Jarred Kelenic it’s Atlanta.
It was a scene-changing scene that involved a number of former high draft picks, but none of the players involved performed as hoped. Kowar exploded during his first Spring Training as a member of the Mariners. He underwent Tommy John surgery and was out of action until May 25. He was on and off the active roster for the next few months until suffering a season-ending shoulder impingement in August.
Kowar ultimately made just 15 appearances in a Seattle uniform. He allowed eight runs in 17 innings, walking seven and recording 15 strikeouts. The Florida product gave up nine runs (five earned) in 16 Triple-A innings. He has an 8.21 earned run average, a 20.3% strikeout rate and a 13.1% increased walk rate over 91 MLB innings.
Kowar was primarily a fastball changeup pitcher earlier in his career, but cut back on the changeup while ramping up his slider usage last season. It resulted in a few more whiffs in his Triple-A days, though his control remains an issue. He sits around 97 MPH with the fastball and could intrigue teams based on arm speed and his draft pedigree, despite the spooky MLB numbers. He’s out of options, so he’ll either have to break camp or be reassigned for assignment if another team is willing to give him a 40-man spot this offseason.
Pereda is a well-traveled depth catcher who has split his 48 Major League games between three teams. He made his debut two seasons ago playing 20 games for the Marlins and combined for 28 games between the A’s and Minnesota last year. The 29-year-old (30 in April) hit .241 without a home run in 118 Major League at-bats. He has a strong track record in the upper minors, hitting .296/.392/.419 in just under 1,000 career Triple-A plate appearances.
The Venezuelan-born Pereda has a good arm and an overall solid defensive reputation. He also has a minor league option so the M’s can send him back to Triple-A for the 2026 season. They signed Andreas Knizner to a $1 million free agent deal to work behind Cal Raleigh. Trade Harry Ford had left them with no other catchers on the 40-man roster. Pereda has an advantage over the non-invite Nick Raposo as the top depth option in case one of their MLB catchers gets injured. Knizner is a career .211/.281/.316 hitter, so it’s not out of the question that Pereda beats him as a backup this season.
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