Breaking Down Potential Extensions For Logan Gilbert And Bryan Woo
The Mariners have become a playoff contender in recent years thanks in large part to their pitching. Between Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryan Woo, the club has a plethora of effective homegrown starters. With Luis Castillo also in the mix, Seattle’s rotation is both a top-10 unit in the league and well-suited to take advantage of the pitching-friendly dimensions of T-Mobile Park.
Understandably, the club is exploring ways to keep that group intact, with Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reporting that the team explored extensions with Gilbert and Woo over the offseason. Kramer adds that the talks with Gilbert did not progress to the point where the two parties were close to an agreement. Talks with Woo’s representatives were also preliminary.
Gilbert has been a staple of the rotation since debuting in 2021. In 840 2/3 innings, he owns a 3.59 ERA, a 26.2% strikeout rate, and a 5.3% walk rate. He has always done well at limiting walks, and the strikeouts have improved year over year since 2022. He is also quite durable, with 2025 being the first time he went on the injured list. After missing seven weeks with a right elbow flexor strain, Gilbert returned in mid-June and was his usual self for the rest of the season. He ultimately made 25 starts with a 3.44 ERA and a career-high 32.3% strikeout rate.
Woo, 26, made his debut in 2023 and has a 3.21 ERA through 70 career starts. Like Gilbert, Woo gets strikeouts at an above average rate and excels at limiting free passes. He has made a few trips to the IL, including two separate stints in 2024 which limited him to 22 starts. He made 30 starts for the first time in 2025. His 21 quality starts in 2025 tied Hunter Brown and Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for fourth place in the majors. Although he missed the last two weeks of the regular season with pectoral inflammation, he returned as a reliever in the ALCS and is fully healthy heading into his first start of 2026.
Both Gilbert and Woo are immensely valuable to the Mariners, so it makes sense for the team to explore extensions while they have multiple seasons of club control remaining. Gilbert has the longer track record, with over four years of effective pitching on his resume. Being closer to free agency, an extension for Gilbert would also be more costly. Looking around the league, Garrett Crochet was the most recent starter with four to five years of service to be extended. He got six years and $170MM from the Red Sox in March 2025. Crochet’s case was unique, as he had been a reliever until 2024 and only had one (very effective) season as a starter before signing the extension.
Gilbert does not strike out as many hitters as Crochet and profiles as a No. 2 starter rather than a true ace. The recent Pablo Lopez and Mitch Keller contracts may be closer comparisons based on talent level and age at the time of signing. Lopez was worth 8.5 fWAR over 84 starts from 2019-22. He got a four-year, $73.5MM deal from the Twins in April 2023, which covered his age-28 through 31 seasons and bought out three free agent years. Meanwhile, Keller was worth a combined 6.2 fWAR in 91 appearances (89 starts) for the Pirates from 2020-23. His February 2024 extension gave him $71.6MM in new money over four years (age-29 through 32), including three free agent years.
Gilbert’s talent level puts him closer to Lopez and Keller than Crochet. Given his comparable age and superior talent, Gilbert might be worth $85-90MM over a four-year term. It wouldn’t be out of character for the Mariners to pay that amount. Castillo’s extension in 2022 gave him a similar average annual value over his age-30 to 34 seasons, and he had a comparable track record at the time to Gilbert’s now.
If the Mariners would prefer to spread money around to different parts of the roster, then Woo might be the more logical long-term fit. He is currently 26 years old and under club control through 2029. For players with two to three years of service time, Cristian Javier and Tanner Bibee are the best points of comparison. Prior to his February 2023 extension, Javier was worth a combined 4.0 fWAR over 66 appearances, roughly half of which were starts. He earned a $64MM guarantee over five years (two would-be free agent years) for an AAV of $12.8MM.
More recently, Bibee got around $47.2MM on a four-year extension in March 2025, which covered at least one free agent year. That came following a 2023-24 stretch in which Bibee accumulated 6.3 fWAR over 56 starts. Being a full-time starter, Woo is a closer match with Bibee’s contract than Javier’s. Bibee had exactly two years of service when he signed his deal, whereas Woo has closer to three years of service. The two are comparable in terms of overall performance, with Woo having an edge on a rate basis and Bibee covering slightly more innings. Based on those circumstances, Woo might garner $55MM over a four-year term ($13.75MM AAV).
Kramer framed both sets of extension talks as preliminary, so Mariners fans should take the news with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, these comparisons offer insight into how much it would cost for the club to retain their starters throughout their window of contention. Per RosterResource, the club has four guaranteed salaries on their books in 2027. Castillo ($24.15MM), Julio Rodriguez ($20.19MM), Josh Naylor ($17.3MM), and Cal Raleigh ($13.67MM). That’s a total of $75.31MM in guaranteed money. After factoring in the arbitration class, that should leave enough room for the club to extend at least one of its homegrown starters, and perhaps more.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Injury Notes: Crawford, Kerkering, Murphy, Hernández
Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford is currently on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, though he is not expected to have a lengthy absence. Indeed, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports that Crawford is with the team today and participated in batting practice. He is also slated for a full infield workout, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. He will remain with the team through the weekend before starting a Triple-A rehab assignment.
The update bodes well for Mariners fans, who will be glad to have their longtime shortstop back in action after just a few weeks. Crawford has generally been healthy since the 2021 season, apart from two missed months in 2024 due to a right oblique strain and a hand fracture. Assuming his rehab goes well, he’ll be on track for another season of 140 or more games. Last year, Crawford posted a 113 wRC+ in 157 games, showing his usual plate discipline with an 11.3% walk rate and an 88th-percentile chase rate. His defense regressed somewhat, but he was viewed positively by Defensive Runs Saved as recently as 2024. Leo Rivas will continue to play short for the Mariners while Crawford recovers.
A few more injury updates from around the league:
- Phillies right-hander Orion Kerkering threw a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance at Triple-A. The next step is for him to throw in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to manager Rob Thomson (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). Kerkering was placed on the 15-day IL three days ago with a right hamstring strain, though he did pitch in minor league games near the end of camp. Judging by that, he should be back at some point in mid-April. Kerkering is coming off a solid 3.30 ERA in 60 relief innings in 2025, albeit with less encouraging peripherals. The late innings are covered by Jhoan Duran, Jose Alvarado, and Brad Keller, so Kerkering will take a middle relief role upon his return.
- Elsewhere in the NL East, Braves catcher Sean Murphy is participating in baseball activities and could start a rehab assignment soon, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The 31-year-old Murphy underwent hip surgery in September, and Bowman previously suggested that Murphy hoped to return some time in May. With last year’s NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin holding down the fort, the team can afford to proceed cautiously with Murphy’s rehab. That could make a late May return the goal for Atlanta. Murphy posted slightly below average offense in 2025, although his defense was excellent as usual. Baldwin, in contrast, was 25% better than average offensively last year, with -2 DRS behind the plate.
- Dodgers utilityman Enrique Hernández took batting practice on the field today. He is also progressing on defense, fielding grounders and making throws according to manager Dave Roberts (link via Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times). Roberts added that he would be “shocked” if Hernández did not return from the 60-day IL as soon as he is eligible on May 24. Hernández didn’t offer much with the bat last year, with a wRC+ of 70. His 5 Outs Above Average showed that his defense was still an asset, and he remains a fan favorite in Los Angeles thanks to his postseason heroics. He is playing on a $4.5MM salary in his 13th big-league season.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images
Mariners Place J.P. Crawford On IL; Andrew Knizner Elects Free Agency
The Mariners announced their Opening Day roster, with a few moves of note. Shortstop J.P. Crawford will start the season on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 22nd, due to right shoulder inflammation. Seattle also selected the contract of catcher Mitch Garver, a move that was previously reported. Fellow catcher Andrew Knizner cleared waivers and elected free agency, which opened a 40-man spot for Garver.
It doesn’t appear as though Crawford is slated for a lengthy absence. His shoulder has been sore for most of spring training but being healthy for the Opening Day roster seemed possible until recently. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that Crawford feels he’ll be back in just a few weeks and that Leo Rivas is likely to man the position in the meantime. Ryan Bliss got a roster spot due to Crawford’s absence and could factor in as well.
On the cathing side of things, the Mariners signed Knizner to a one-year, $1MM deal back in December. It seemed like he would be the backup to Cal Raleigh this year but Garver lingered unsigned into the second half of February, allowing Seattle to bring him back via a minor league deal. Garver didn’t have a great spring, putting up a .192/.290/.346 line, but Knizner’s .172/.226/.207 performance was even worse.
It seems the Mariners quietly put Knizner on waivers a couple of days ago and no one claimed him. Since Knizner has at least five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while keeping his salary commitments. He’ll be paid $1MM this year regardless. If he signs somewhere else, another club would only have to pay him a prorated league minimum salary of $780K, with that amount subtracted from what the Mariners owe.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images
Poll: Who Will Win The AL West?
With Opening Day just around the corner, the offseason is more or less complete for MLB’s 30 clubs and teams. Until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. In the run-up to the start of the season, we will be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. The Blue Jays came out on top in the AL East, while our readers overwhelmingly (58%) voted for the Tigers in our poll on the AL Central. Today, we’ll be moving on to the AL West. All teams are listed in order of their 2025 regular season record:
Seattle Mariners (90-72)
Powered by an MVP-caliber season from star catcher Cal Raleigh, the Mariners surged ahead of the pack in the AL West last year and fell just one game short of reaching the World Series. Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco departed via free agency, but the rest of that team is more or less intact. A rotation led by Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo figures to once again be among the very best in baseball, and they’ll be backed up by a bullpen that added lefty Jose A. Ferrer to pair with Andres Munoz and Matt Brash in high-leverage situations. The big addition to the offense is utilityman Brendan Donovan, who’ll primarily play third base and help lengthen a lineup featuring Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, Randy Arozarena and breakout slugger Dominic Canzone. The offense could improve even more if young second baseman Cole Young and/or top prospect Colt Emerson prove they can be impact players in 2026, but it’s easy to make the argument that Seattle remains the most well-rounded team in the division even without those improvements.
Houston Astros (87-75)
The Astros missed the postseason for the first time since 2016 last year, and the team was not as aggressive as one might have expected this winter. That’s not to say the Astros were inactive. They replaced Framber Valdez at the top of the rotation with Tatsuya Imai and brought in Mike Burrows from the Pirates to add further depth to a rotation that was often held together by duct tape and bubblegum last year. Houston will bring back a nearly identical offense, only swapping Mauricio Dubon for Nick Allen and Jesus Sanchez for Joey Loperfido while going to internal backup Cesar Salazar as a replacement for Victor Caratini. The Astros explored trades of infielder Isaac Paredes and tried to get another left-handed bat, but they’ve come up empty to date. The uncertain health of closer Josh Hader only adds to the question marks facing Houston as they look to return to the top of this division.
Texas Rangers (81-81)
After a second consecutive disappointing season, the Rangers moved on from second baseman Marcus Semien, outfielder Adolis Garcia, and catcher Jonah Heim. Semien was traded to the Mets for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who will take over right field following Garcia’s non-tender. Heim, also non-tendered, will be replaced by catcher Danny Jansen. Nimmo and Jansen should be upgrades over Heim and Garcia, though the team lost some positional depth by forcing Josh Smith into the everyday role at second base. The addition of MacKenzie Gore to an already talented rotation should allow the Rangers’ starters to once again be among the best in baseball, but they’ll need better health from Corey Seager and more production from Joc Pederson and Josh Jung if they’re going to compete for the division title this year.
The Athletics (76-86)
While it’s been a busy and exciting offseason for fans of the A’s, that excitement has mostly been focused on extensions. Long-term deals for Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson are encouraging for the long-term health of the franchise but don’t move the needle in 2026. The A’s added Jeff McNeil to help the offense at second base, and a full season of Nick Kurtz in the majors won’t hurt. Strong as the offense looks, the club’s lack of pitching additions for a roster that struggled to prevent runs even before losing Mason Miller at the trade deadline creates plenty of concern. They’ll need a lot to break right, particularly in the bullpen.
Los Angeles Angels (72-90)
As is often the case with the Angels, it’s not impossible to squint and see the bones of a solid team. Mike Trout was healthier last season than he’s been in a very long time. Jo Adell slugged 40 homers in 2025. Jorge Soler remains a potential middle-of-the-order force when healthy. Josh Lowe was a high-upside addition, and it’s not impossible to imagine any of Nolan Schanuel, Reid Detmers, and Christian Moore following in the footsteps of Zach Neto to become high quality regulars. Unfortunately, fans in Anaheim know that the club has been in this situation virtually every year for the past decade. They’ve seen far too many potential-laden teams undercut by a lack of depth before finishing the season underwater and failing to reach the playoffs. Perhaps this year will be different, but Angels fans have earned their skepticism, especially following an offseason where Lowe, Kirby Yates, and Grayson Rodriguez (the latter of whom is already injured) were the club’s biggest additions.
How do MLBTR readers think the AL West will shake out this year? Will the Mariners continue to reign supreme? Will the Astros find a way to reestablish themselves as the class of the AL? Was the Rangers’ roster shakeup enough to get them back to the playoffs? Or could the A’s or Angels surprise with a big season? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will win the AL West in 2026?
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Seattle Mariners 66% (3,469)
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Houston Astros 11% (553)
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Texas Rangers 8% (444)
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The Athletics 8% (441)
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Los Angeles Angels 6% (329)
Total votes: 5,236
Mariners To Add Mitch Garver To Opening Day Roster
The Mariners are adding Mitch Garver to their Opening Day roster as their backup catcher, according to a report from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. That seemingly leaves catcher Andrew Knizner without a spot on the club’s roster headed into the season. He’s on a $1MM contract for 2026 and cannot be optioned to the minors, so he’ll need to be traded or designated for assignment sometime before Opening Day if he isn’t making the team.
Garver, 35, is a veteran of nine MLB seasons and has spent the past two years in Seattle. The former Silver Slugger has spent much of his career on the injured list, but in his younger years often showed flashes of elite power when healthy coupled with a hefty dose of strikeouts. From 2019 to 2023, Garver appeared in 325 games (averaging just 65 per season) but in that time slashed a phenomenal .250/.346/.508 with 75 home runs, a 26.6% strikeout rate, and an 11.8% walk rate. Perhaps the most impressive of those five seasons was his 2023 campaign with the Rangers, where he made it into 87 games and clubbed 19 homers with a strikeout rate of just 23.8% against an impressive 12.8% walk rate.
It was a platform season strong enough that the Mariners decided to take a chance on Garver, signing him to the club’s first multi-year deal for a position player in years. Unfortunately, that contract did not go well. Garver’s offense has taken a big step back over the past two years as the strikeouts have returned while his power has dipped substantially. In 201 games with Seattle, he’s hit just .187/.290/.341 with a 29.6% strikeout rate and a wRC+ of 88, indicating he’s been 12 points worse than league average at the plate. He’s combined that with lackluster defensive numbers behind the plate, and the Mariners were widely expected to move on from the veteran this offseason.
Despite that, Garver re-signed with the club on a minor league deal at the outset of Spring Training. Contact has remained an issue for him this spring, as he’s gone just .182/.308/.227 with 11 strikeouts in 26 trips to the plate during camp. That lackluster performance both in Seattle and during camp this spring makes the decision to go with Garver as the backup a somewhat surprising one. That’s particularly true given that Knizner is not only on a major league contract but also has the five years of service time required to reject an outright assignment and retain his full salary even if he passed through waivers unclaimed following a DFA.
Of course, it should be remembered that Knizner is hardly an impact player in his own right. The veteran has appeared in parts of seven MLB seasons but is a career .211/.281/.316 hitter whose 2025 season was even less productive at the dish than Garver’s. Knizner is younger at 31 years old and has been viewed in some circles as a superior defender to Garver, but his metrics have actually been similar to Garver’s work in 2025 throughout much of his career. Given that Raleigh figures to play the overwhelming majority of games behind the plate, perhaps the Mariners are prioritizing bringing back a veteran leader from a club that fell just one game short of the World Series last year who Raleigh himself helped to bring back into the organization over the offseason.
Regardless of the reasoning, Garver now figures to serve as Raleigh’s backup, while Knizner is likely to be either traded or exposed to waivers before the season begins. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll have the opportunity to return to free agency and sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs. Given the dearth of catching depth around the league in recent years, Knizner could conceivably find a big league job somewhere, though it’s also possible he’ll have to settle for a minor league pact at this point and begin the season at Triple-A.
Mariners Assign Colt Emerson To Minor League Camp
Top prospect Colt Emerson has been reassigned to minor league camp, the Mariners announced. The move likely ends the infielder’s bid for an Opening Day roster spot. Despite his youth, the 20-year-old was said to be in the mix for a big-league job. He’ll now head back to Tacoma for more seasoning.
Emerson held his own during spring action with Seattle. He posted a 111 wRC+ with a pair of home runs and a stolen base. The shortstop kept the strikeout rate at a reasonable 21.3% while walking more than 10% of the time. It’s a tiny 18-game sample, but Emerson held his own in his brief opportunity against MLB-caliber talent.
Seattle had multiple spots to fill in the infield heading into the offseason, with Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez hitting free agency. The club brought back Josh Naylor to handle first base, then traded for Brendan Donovan. The former Cardinal seems to be heading for regular reps at third base. J.P. Crawford has been a mainstay at shortstop. A shoulder injury to the veteran offered a glimpse of hope for Emerson, but it’ll now be someone else who fills in for Crawford if he can’t get ready in time for the opener. Leo Rivas is the most likely candidate.
Cole Young paced the Mariners in plate appearances at second base last season with 254. He scuffled to a .612 OPS in those opportunities. Young finished with an 80 wRC+ over 77 games in his first taste of the big leagues. Spring Training has been a completely different story. The 22-year-old has slashed .294/.368/.725 across 17 spring contests. After hitting four home runs in the big leagues last year, he’s already popped six in Cactus League play. Young has also chipped in four steals.
It probably would’ve taken an undeniable spring performance for Emerson to snag an Opening Day job. While he did reach Triple-A to close 2025, it was only for six games. The likeliest scenario was always that he’d begin the year in the minors. Young’s tremendous Spring Training made it an easier decision for Seattle.
Emerson is the consensus top prospect in the Mariners’ system. He’s in the top 10 overall at ESPN, MLB.com, and The Athletic. The latter has him all the way up at No. 4, behind only Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle, and Jesus Made. Griffin met a similar fate today, getting sent back to minor league camp. McGonigle remains in big-league camp with the Tigers.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
AL West Notes: Pena, Mastrobuoni, Crawford, Neto
Jeremy Pena provided The Athletic’s Chandler Rome with an update on the fingertip fracture that has put Pena’s Opening Day availability in question. The Astros shortstop has been able to partake in most baseball activities, with just throwing and swinging with both hands remaining on the checklist before he can consider a return to game action. Pena has played in four Spring Training games and two World Baseball Classic games with the Dominican Republic, and it remains to be seen how much more prep time he’ll need once he is cleared to play.
“If I get into a game and I feel like my swing is ready to go, then that’s all I need,” Pena said. “For me, it’s a feel thing. Maybe it takes me five games, maybe it takes me three, maybe it takes me one.”
It would appear as though Pena should at least be able to get into some games before the Cactus League is over, even if it remains unclear whether or not he’ll need (what may be a minimal) 10-day injured list stint to begin the season. A fuller re-evaluation of Pena’s status is still a couple of days away, though Rome writes that the shortstop felt good enough to postpone a planned doctor’s appointment.
More from around the AL West…
- Mariners utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni is dealing with a minor calf strain that cut short his participation on Italy’s team in the World Baseball Classic. Mastrobuoni is now back at the Mariners’ camp, and he told the Seattle Times’ Tim Booth that while he doesn’t feel his strain is too serious, he didn’t want to risk further aggravating the injury: “I just really don’t want to deal with this, having it nag throughout the year.” Given the timing, Mastrobuoni (who is out of minor league options) might begin the season on the 10-day injured list to allow him to both fully recover and ramp up for regular-season play.
- Staying in Seattle, J.P. Crawford has been bothered by a sore right shoulder for much of camp, and the shortstop hasn’t played in any of the Mariners‘ last four games. Despite the absence, Crawford isn’t worried about his readiness for Opening Day, telling the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other reporters that the team was just being cautious. Since the M’s have a off-day tomorrow, Crawford will get another full day of rest and rehab before making his planned return to Seattle’s lineup on Tuesday.
- The Angels received a scare when Zach Neto picked up a left hand injury while sliding into home plate yesterday, but the shortstop told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group) that tests revealed only a small hand sprain. Neto believes he’ll be back in action after just a few days. A critical piece of the Halos’ lineup, Neto has hit .253/.318/.458 with 49 homers and 56 steals (translating to a 115 wRC+) over 1156 plate appearances in 2024-25, despite undergoing a November 2024 shoulder surgery that delayed his 2025 debut until mid-April. Another left hand strain ended Neto’s 2025 campaign in late September.
Which Top Prospects Could Be On 2026 Opening Day Rosters?
In the not-too-distant past, it was relatively rare for organizations to break camp with their very best prospects on the roster. It still happened at times, but MLB's service time structure was set up such that keeping a top prospect in the minors for even two weeks to begin the season effectively ensured that he'd be controllable for seven years rather than the standard six. There were obvious exceptions to this thinking -- Atlanta fans surely remember Jason Heyward breaking camp as a 20-year-old and belting a three-run homer on Opening Day -- but there were far more cases of keeping a player in the minors to buy the extra year. Kris Bryant, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and others were all called to the majors just when they'd spent enough time in the minors to give their clubs an extra year of control. There was nothing inherently nefarious about the gambit; teams were operating within the collectively bargained rules and making business decisions.
The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement sought to implement some real incentives for teams to bring their best players north to begin the season, however, and by and large they've been effective. With the Prospect Promotion Incentives (PPI), any prospect who appears on two recognized top-100 lists and is called up early enough to earn a full service year can net his team a bonus draft pick, either in that season's Rookie of the Year voting or in MVP/Cy Young voting over the next three seasons.
There's also a disincentive to holding a player down. For those same qualified top prospects, a top-two finish in either league's Rookie of the Year voting will net a full year of major league service time, regardless of when they were called up. Said prospects still have around 90% of a season in such instances, which is more than enough time to turn in a ROY-worthy performance.
Teams now know that holding a player down for 15 days or so might lead to him getting a full year of service anyhow and comes with the disadvantage of rendering that player ineligible for future PPI picks. As such, it's become increasingly common for touted prospects to break camp on their teams' rosters.
With that in mind, and with fewer than two weeks to go until Opening Day, it seems worth running through a slate of top prospects who could factor into their teams' Opening Day plans.
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Bryce Miller May Start Season On Injured List
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller may not be available for the start of the season. Per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Miller felt some soreness in his left side today and didn’t finish his bullpen session. “He’s definitely behind,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. “It’s the type of injury where it seems wise not to push him too fast. Obviously, we won’t make any decisions until we need to.”
Miller was slowed by some left side soreness about two weeks ago. An MRI revealed some inflammation and he was given a platelet-rich plasma injection. His planned bullpen session today was part of a ramp-up that could have seen him stretched out for the start of the season. This setback appears to put that in jeopardy. He is not being fully shut down, as he will still be playing catch and doing some other activities, but the Mariners will want the soreness to clear before he fully lets it fly from a mound again.
It doesn’t seem like this is a major issue but it could be an early test of Seattle’s rotation depth. The Mariners have a strong starting group when everyone is healthy, as they have Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Miller. Once they have to dip into their depth, things get a bit more questionable. Divish mentions Cooper Criswell and Emerson Hancock as the two guys most likely to step up if Miller does miss some time.
Criswell’s best season to date was his 2024 showing with the Red Sox. He tossed 99 1/3 innings in a swing role, allowing 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 17.2% strikeout rate was subpar but he only walked 7.3% of opponents and induced grounders on 50.3% of balls in play. In 2025, the Sox added some arms and Criswell was mostly blocked, only making seven big league appearances. He had a decent showing in Triple-A, throwing 65 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 49.4% ground ball rate.
Despite the passable numbers, Criswell exhausted his final option in 2025, pushing him to fringe roster status. The Sox signed him to a 2026 deal with an $800K salary, a bit above the $780K league minimum, even though he hadn’t yet qualified for arbitration. The plan seemed to be to pass him through waivers, allowing him to serve as Triple-A depth even though he’s out of options. That plan didn’t work, as the Mets claimed him off waivers in December. When the Mets nudged him off their roster, Seattle sent some cash to Queens to get him from DFA limbo.
Criswell’s number are fine but there’s a bit of risk there. His velocity doesn’t reach 90 miles per hour, making him a soft-tosser in this era. He has been able to get guys out regardless, but it’s a fine line to walk.
Hancock is a former sixth overall pick but his big league performance hasn’t lived up to that status yet. Over the past three years, he has given the M’s 162 2/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball rate.
One thing that may perhaps work in Criswell’s favor is that Hancock still has an option, so he could be sent to Triple-A to stay stretched out there. Since Criswell is out of options, he needs to either be in the rotation or the bullpen. If Criswell does end up with the rotation spot, that would help alleviate the pressure in the bullpen. Seattle’s eight projected relief arms are all out of options except for Matt Brash and Jose A. Ferrer, who are too good to be sent down.
If Hancock and Criswell are both up in the big leagues, Blas Castano would be the only optionable depth starter in the Triple-A rotation. He has just one major league appearance on his track record and posted a 5.19 ERA in Triple-A last year. The Mariners have Dane Dunning, Jhonathan Díaz, Randy Dobnak and Casey Lawrence in camp as non-roster invitees with some big league experience.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Mariners Add Jacob Nottingham To Minor League Coaching Staff
March 9: Nottingham was brought in as a player on a minor league deal but will actually be converting to coaching, according to a report from Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. It’s unclear what Nottingham’s exact role in the Mariners organization will be. The news presumably ends Nottingham’s playing career, and we at MLB Trade Rumors wish him all the best in his upcoming move to coaching.
March 8: The Mariners have re-signed catcher Jacob Nottingham to a minor league deal, as noted in the transactions tracker on Nottingham’s MLB.com profile page. It’s unclear if the deal includes an invite to big league camp for the 30-year-old.
Nottingham is a veteran of four MLB seasons but hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2021 season. A one-time top-100 prospect who was initially drafted by the Astros, he was involved in the 2015 Scott Kazmir swap between the Astros and A’s before being flipped to the Brewers in the Khris Davis deal ahead of the 2016 season. Nottingham lost his prospect shine during his time in Milwaukee and served mostly as an up-and-down catcher for the Brewers from the time of his MLB debut in 2018 until 2021, when he was claimed off waivers by the Mariners. He returned to the Brewers via trade shortly thereafter but was eventually DFA’d by Milwaukee and plucked off waivers by Seattle for a second time later in the year.
Then 26 years old, Nottingham ended the 2021 season with a career .184/.277/.421 slash line across 130 plate appearances in 54 MLB games, which remains his career slash line in the big leagues to this day. Since being outrighted off the Mariners’ roster in 2021, he’s bounced between the Mariners’, Giants’ and Nationals’ minor league systems and also enjoyed a 44-game stint in the independent Mexican League back in 2024. In 293 career minor league games, Nottingham owns a .235/.321/.415 slash line line that’s generally solid by the standards of a catcher. Those numbers are somewhat inflated by years spent in the Pacific Coast League, however, and Nottingham’s 2025 campaign left much to be desired. He appeared in just 17 games in Tacoma for the Mariners organization last year, and in those limited opportunities he struggled to the tune of a .193/.277/.298 slash line.
Given Nottingham’s limited playing time last year and struggles when he did take the field, it’s hard to imagine him being a significant part of the backup catcher conversation for Seattle. Cal Raleigh is, of course, the undisputed top catcher in not only the organization but all of baseball. The Mariners are planning on having Andrew Knizner back Raleigh up this year, although Jhonny Pereda is also on the 40-man roster while Mitch Garver, Brian O’Keefe, and Jakson Reetz are all in camp as non-roster invitees. Some of those depth options figure to have opt-outs in their contracts and could look for greener pastures elsewhere in the likely event they don’t make the MLB club. That’s where Nottingham could come into the picture as a depth piece who is familiar with the organization and can serve as a veteran mentor for pitchers at Triple-A.