Taiwanese-American Stuart Fairchild Signs with Mariners

Seattle: Taiwanese-American outfielder Stuart Fairchild has signed with the Seattle Mariners and will begin with the club's Triple-A affiliate, ending speculation that he could join Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Contract terms were not disclosed. According to Focus Taiwan, the 30-year-old elected free agency after clearing waivers following his designation for assignment by the Cleveland Guardians. He opted for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A. Fairchild updated his Instagram profile Monday to identify himself as a Mariners player before his agency announced the deal. The move marks a return to Seattle, where Fairchild was born and raised and previously played for the Mariners in 2022. Born to a Taiwanese mother and an American father, he represented Team Taiwan at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. His performance at the WBC included a .250 batting average with two home runs, six RBIs, and three stolen bases, establishing him as one of T eam Taiwan's top offensive performers. Following his release by Cleveland, several CPBL clubs, including the Wei Chuan Dragons and Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, showed interest in signing Fairchild before he decided to return to Seattle. Fairchild appeared in 14 MLB games with Cleveland this season, batting .158 (3-for-19) with one RBI.