The 33-year-old left-hander is officially out of the MLB pool, and MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the move as teams around the league were still finalizing bullpen and rotation depth ahead of trade deadline season.
MLB Trade Rumors broke the news that Lucchesi has agreed to terms with the Marines.
It's been a rough go for Lucchesi in North America lately. He signed a one-year major league deal with the Angels back in March, but it never got off the ground — 3 appearances, a 7.71 ERA, just 2 strikeouts across 2 1/3 innings before he got designated for assignment in April. He cleared waivers, elected free agency, bounced around on a couple of minor league pacts, and never got another real shot at the show.
That's a steep fall for a guy who once looked like a rotation piece. Lucchesi broke in with the Padres back in 2018 with that funky low-slot delivery that made him a Baseball America darling, got dealt to the Mets, then later landed with the Giants. Three organizations in three years is not the trajectory anyone wants, and when a 33-year-old lefty can't find a big league opportunity by midseason, Japan starts looking like the best paycheck on the board.
According to reporting, Marines manager Saburo Omura plans to slot Lucchesi right into the rotation for the rest of the season — not a mop-up bullpen arm, an actual starter's role. NPB has become a landing spot of choice for veteran arms who've hit a wall stateside, and the money is often better than a minor league deal or a September call-up flyer back home.
It's not a blockbuster signing, but it's a real one — another former big leaguer choosing steady NPB starts over chasing scraps in Triple-A. For Lucchesi, it's a fresh mound and a fresh league. For MLB rosters looking for pitching depth ahead of the deadline, it's one fewer name to consider.