On the 22nd (23rd Japan time), the Mariners announced that pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, who was participating in the training camp as an invited player on a minor league contract, had been demoted to minor league training camp.

Fujinami pitched 6 2/3 innings in seven exhibition games, with one save, one hold and an ERA of 5.40. His poor performance in his second appearance against the Giants on February 27th, when he gave up three walks and four runs, had a big impact on his ERA, but he has kept the score at zero in his last five consecutive games, for a total of six games, making a strong impression on the management.

He held opposing batters to a batting average of .182 with a fastball in the high 150s, a splitter, a slider, and a new two-seam fastball that the management highly praised, and struck out four batters. There were signs of improvement in his control, which was an issue, but he recorded 10 walks and was unable to demonstrate his ability to be included in the 40-man major league roster. This was a cruel announcement five days before the start of the season.

In the offseason of 2011, Fujinami signed a one-year contract with the Athletics using the posting system from Hanshin. He was traded to the Orioles midway through the season, pitching in a total of 64 games with a record of 7 wins, 8 losses, 2 saves, and an ERA of 7.18. Last season, his second year in the U.S., he signed a one-year contract with the Mets for $3.35 million (approximately 500 million yen), but was demoted to the minor league AAA before the start of the season. He finished the season without being promoted to the majors, and signed a minor league contract with the Mariners last offseason.