The Mariners and right-hander Casey Lawrence have reunited on a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. Presumably, the veteran righty will also receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.
Lawrence, 38, has been in the game for well over a decade now but has never been much more than a depth arm. He has appeared in five different big league seasons but has appeared in just 65 games with a 6.42 earned run average.
He and the Mariners have a relationship that seems to work for both parties. He bounced on and off the Seattle roster throughout the 2025 season, getting added whenever the club needed a fresh arm to absorb some innings and spare the rest of the staff. Since he is out of options, he would then be designated for assignment. One time, he was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays and was with that club briefly. But for the most part, he would clear waivers, elect free agency and then sign a new minor league deal with the M’s.
By the end of the year, he had been designated for assignment six times, once by the Jays and five times by the Mariners. Around all those transactions, he tossed 17 2/3 innings over six appearances with a 4.08 ERA.
It would be understandable to feel that Lawrence was getting jerked around but it seems he understood the situation, given his career trajectory. “I think I’m used to kind of the movement of it,” Lawrence said to Tim Booth of The Seattle Times in April. “And I think it’s one of those things where you understand your role in the team and you’re willing to do whatever is going to help the team. Right now, it’s kind of doing this.”
Lawrence never got enough big league time to qualify for arbitration, so his career earnings are surely less than many of his peers. By accepting this role late in his career, he can at least bank some sporadic hits of major league salary before he hangs up his spikes. He told Booth that he plans to get into a player development or front office role but he wants to keep playing while he still can.
The Mariners have a strong rotation consisting of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller. They have Logan Evans and others as depth options. Prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje could be in Triple-A at some point in 2026. Lawrence will likely be used for emergency mop up work for situations where the staff is gassed due to injuries or playing a series of extra innings games in short succession.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Ah yes, the first of at least a dozen releases and re-signings to come this winter for Casey Lawrence and the Mariners.
I bet you that zero happen since it’s a minor league deal
Did Dipoto have a Drumstick in his mouth when completing the signing???
I don’t get it, am I missing some context?
Let the Casey Lawrence posts commence!
Guy needs to up his game so he stays on the 9-man roster.
He’s upped his game, so up yours!
MARINERS AAA BUS DRIVER LEGEND CASEY LAWRENCE!
Heck… it’s a living
If his plan is to get into coaching or player dev, this is a good way to ease into it
I remember when I first saw Casey pitch. I believe Stengel was still managing the Mets.
He was wanting to get into the player development side after he retires
Oh, Dipoto…
Ya kinda gotta love guys like this, right? Old school, journeyman, gritty, and utterly bereft of talent. not making a lot of money even. Just guys who love playing ball.
I mean it’s either that or selling cars. If he can still throw 85-90mph pitches for a strike, why not keep going at AAA salary?
Over sale and underperform!
Dipoto got my hopes up yesterday saying we could see a signing or two. I wasn’t expecting a Casey Lawrence!
Where’s my Polo. I’m gonna riot. To the Streets boys!!
Just kidding , Happy Thanksgiving!
This is definitely a role you willingly take if you’re his age, his talent level and wants to keep pitching professionally. Most players his age are playing in Mexico or the Indy-A leagues if they want to keep playing.
Oh no. Just stay in Tacoma, unless the bullpen is desperate.
As someone who lives in Tacoma, I just gotta say Casey Lawrence is a stand up dude.
When he gets an opportunity to begin his post-playing career, I hope he stays with the org. Gotta respect the grind.
World Series, baby!
Stop giving this bum money then dfa’ing him. He sucks and he proves it consistently. Let him disappear into turdville
Lawrence’s job isn’t to win games. His job is primarily to take the mound when the bullpen is gassed. There are some games where you just know that you are gonna lose, so make the best of it.
Every team needs a Casey Lawrence. These are guys who realize what their value is to a team, and tries their best to meet the teams needs.
Q: So, what’s the plan this next season, Jerry
A: We’re going to DFA-then-re-sign Casey Lawrence 12 times. That’ll get us to the World Series for sure.
Don’t underestimate the value of having depth and flexibility in your org. It takes more than the original 40-man roster over 162 games and, by definition, some of those guys will be suboptimal otherwise they’d be on the 40. Doesn’t mean they can’t contribute value just because they aren’t ‘the answer’