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Mariners Select Casey Lawrence

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The Mariners announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Tacoma. He’d cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a week ago, briefly elected free agency, and returned on another minor league deal. He’s now right back in the big leagues. Righty Troy Taylor was optioned to Tacoma in his place.

This marks the latest stop in a frequent matchup between Lawrence and the Mariners. Seattle originally claimed the righty off waivers back in 2017, and while he’s bounced around the league at times, he’s repeatedly made his way back to the M’s, signing a quartet of minor league deals and pitching for them in parts of three different seasons. Lawrence also spent the entire 2024 campaign in the Mariners organization, though he wasn’t brought up from Triple-A Tacoma at any point last season.

In 127 major league innings between the Blue Jays, Mariners and Cardinals, Lawrence has pitched to a 6.73 ERA with a 16.6% strikeout rate and an 8.5% walk rate. He’s also pitched in parts of 10 Triple-A seasons, working to a 4.32 ERA in 733 frames at the top minor league level.

It could very well be another short stint for Lawrence, who seems amenable to serving as a depth arm with the Mariners and riding the DFA carousel for the time being. He’ll give Seattle a fresh arm after a wild, back-and-forth extra-innings game saw the Mariners burn through seven relievers en route to a victory over the Reds yesterday. Each of Andres Munoz, Trent Thornton, Gabe Speier and Carlos Vargas has now pitched on back-to-back days, so Lawrence has a good chance at getting into tonight’s series opener in Toronto.

Mariners, Zach Pop Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners and right-hander Zach Pop have agreed to a minor league contract, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. The Blue Jays designated Pop for assignment at the end of spring training when they needed a 40-man roster spot. The out-of-options righty was battling elbow inflammation at the time, and since injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, the Jays instead had to place him on release waivers. He became a free agent a couple weeks ago and will now join the fifth organization of his professional career.

Pop, 28, was a seventh-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2017. Los Angeles traded him and four others to the Orioles in the 2018 Manny Machado blockbuster, and he’s since pitched with the Marlins and Blue Jays organizations. The 6’4″ righty has logged big league time in each of the past four seasons, working to a combined 4.45 ERA with a sub-par 18.4% strikeout rate, a solid 7.9% walk rate and an excellent 55% ground-ball rate.

The 2024 season was a struggle for Pop, who pitched to a grisly 5.59 ERA over the course of 48 1/3 innings. With his sinker being hit harder than usual in 2023-24, Pop began to incorporate a cutter a couple months into the season. The pitch showed some promise, generating plenty of pop-ups and whiffs when chased off the plate, but Pop also misfired with it too often and served up three of his nine homers on the new offering — despite only throwing it at a 12.3% clip.

If the Mariners can help Pop refine that cutter or perhaps implement a new third offering, he could yet emerge as a reliable bullpen arm. He sits 96 mph with his sinker, which is plenty in terms of velocity, and his slider has long graded as a quality offering. The pitch misses bats, and opponents have slugged only .328 against it when making contact. Add in his lofty ground-ball numbers and it’s easy enough to see why the Mariners feel they may be able to coax another level out of him, even if the results over the past couple seasons have been rough.

Mariners Option Gregory Santos

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The Mariners have optioned right-hander Gregory Santos to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled fellow right-handed reliever Will Klein in his place, per a team announcement.

It’s the first time in nearly three years that Santos has been optioned to the minors. He was a notable trade acquisition in the 2023-24 offseason, with the Mariners sending prospects Prelander Berroa, Zach DeLoach and a Competitive Balance (Round B) draft selection to the White Sox in return.

At the time of the swap, Santos was fresh off an excellent breakout season in Chicago and had five years of club control remaining. His 2023 campaign with the South Siders featured 66 1/3 innings of 3.39 ERA ball. Santos had averaged 98.9 mph on his sinker while turning in strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 22.8%, 5.9% and 52.5%, respectively. He’d started that season in a low-leverage role but found himself pitching more meaningful innings as the year went on; he finished with five saves and six holds. It looked like the start of a lengthy run as a quality high-leverage reliever.

As we see all too often with pitchers, however, injuries intervened. Santos was diagnosed with a lat strain last spring and spent the first three-plus months of the season on the injured list as a result. He returned in early July but was back on the 15-day IL less than a month later, this time owing to biceps inflammation. He returned in the season’s final week and pitched a pair of scoreless innings.

Heading into 2025, Santos looked to be on track for a rebound. The lat strain was behind him, he’d finished the prior season healthy, and he posted a 1.59 ERA in six spring appearances (one run in 5 2/3 innings). That hasn’t played out whatsoever.

Santos’ once premium command has been nowhere to be found. He’s pitched seven innings and faced 36 batters. Eight of them have reached via base on balls (albeit, two of them being intentional). He’s also tossed a pair of wild pitches. Equally or more concerning is the fact that he hasn’t recorded a single strikeout yet. He’s still getting heaps of ground-balls (63%), but he’s missing badly and not inducing chases off the plate. His 11.5% opponents’ chase rate is the fourth-worst among all pitchers with at least five innings this year. His 4.6% swinging-strike rate is tied for ninth-worst.

There hasn’t been a major drop-off in Santos’ velocity. His sinker is down a bit, sitting at 98 mph, but that’s less than a one-mile gap from his 2023 peak. He’s had a bit more of a pronounced drop in his slider velo, but there’s no reason to believe he’s injured at the moment. (He is, after all, being optioned and not placed on the 15-day IL.) Santos has seen some changes in his release point from 2023 to 2025, but again, it’s not necessarily a drastic difference. For now, he’ll head to Triple-A Tacoma for a reset and look to get back on track.

It’s possible, though not yet certain, that today’s demotion could alter Santos’ path to arbitration and to free agency. He entered the season with two years and 55 days (2.055) of big league service, meaning he needed 117 days on the roster to reach three years and keep pace for arbitration eligibility this winter and free agency following the 2028 season. Of course, those factors will be rendered moot if he can’t get back on track and reestablish himself as a credible big league reliever.

Klein has actually had similar struggles to those of Santos down in Tacoma this year. He’s faced 36 batters and walked seven of them while plunking another and being charged with four wild pitches. He’s at least missing bats however and is doing so at an eye-popping rate; Klein has fanned 36.1% of his opponents and is sitting on a strong 13.8% swinging-strike rate. He’ll give Seattle a fresh arm one day after four relievers (Santos among them) needed to cover 3 2/3 innings following a rough start from Luis Castillo.

Casey Lawrence Elects Free Agency

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April 16: The Mariners announced that Lawrence cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma. MLBTR has learned that Lawrence will elect free agency rather than accept that assignment.

April 14: The Mariners announced Monday that right-hander Casey Lawrence has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to righty Troy Taylor, who’s being reinstated from the 15-day injured list. It’s also worth noting that right-hander Jesse Hahn, whom Seattle outrighted to Triple-A over the weekend, has rejected that assignment in favor of free agency, according to the transaction log at MiLB.com.

Lawrence, 37, was called to the big leagues last week for a return stint with Seattle. He pitched the final three innings of their April 9 game against the Astros and was credited with a win after allowing a pair of runs on four hits and a walk (no strikeouts). It’s the third season in which the well-traveled Lawrence has suited up for the Mariners. He also pitched with Seattle in 2017 and 2018, in addition to spending the entire 2024 season with their Triple-A club. In 127 big league innings, Lawrence has a 6.73 ERA with a 16.6% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate.

The Mariners clearly like Lawrence and have a good relationship with him. Since 2017, they’ve claimed him off waivers and signed him to three minor league contracts. He can be placed on waivers or traded at any point in the next five days. Waivers would be another 48-hour process.

Within a week’s time, we’ll know the outcome of his DFA, although given his track record and history with the organization, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he accepted an outright assignment or quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal after clearing waivers and electing free agency. He’s already spent the past year-plus living and pitching in the Seattle/Tacoma area, after all, and he could be called upon in similar situations if the Mariners decide they need a fresh arm in the ’pen once again.

Taylor, 23, was a quick-to-the-majors reliever who impressed during his 2024 MLB debut. A 12th-round pick by the M’s in 2022, Taylor logged 19 1/3 innings last year and turned in a 3.72 ERA with a huge 30.9% strikeout rate against a solid 8.6% walk rate. That performance came on the heels of 42 2/3 minor league innings during which the UC-Irvine product recorded a stellar 1.27 ERA with a 27.6% strikeout rate and identical 8.6% walk rate.

Taylor missed the first two-plus weeks of the season with a minor lat strain. He made five rehab appearances and was torched for six runs on nine hits (one homer) and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. Most of that damage came in one outing where he was tagged for three runs without recording an out, however. Clearly, the Mariners are encouraged by the current state of his stuff and his previously ailing lat, as they could’ve simply optioned Taylor to Triple-A rather than reinstate him to the big league roster.

Hahn, 35, pitched in the majors for the first time since 2021 earlier this year when he tossed four frames for the Mariners. Injuries have continually plagued the right-hander, who’s been limited to 29 1/3 MLB frames (and 85 innings overall) since 2019. He’s continued grinding through rehab after rehab, however, and was rewarded with a brief big league return. Hahn could get another look with the M’s on a new minor league deal or latch on elsewhere as a minor league depth option now that he’s once again a free agent.

Mariners Re-Sign Jesse Hahn To Minor League Deal

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Jesse Hahn returned to the Mariners on a minor league contract, per the MLB.com transaction tracker. The righty had rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency over the weekend.

Players frequently re-sign after declining an outright assignment. The time on the open market allows the player to at least gauge whether there might be an immediate opportunity elsewhere. If not, they can try to renegotiate more favorable opt-out dates or salaries into a new deal than they would have received had they accepted the outright.

Hahn spent four days on Seattle’s major league roster earlier this month. He pitched twice and turned in four innings, allowing only one unearned run. Hahn walked four batters, but three of those were intentional as he navigated the free runner in extras against the Astros. He struck out three and allowed as many hits.

It was a solid showing for the 35-year-old. Hahn was pitching in the big leagues for the first time in four years. He had made five appearances for the 2021 Royals. Hahn hasn’t topped 20 major league innings in a season since 2017. A shoulder injury sidelined him entirely between 2022-23. He returned to the affiliated ranks on minor league contracts with the Dodgers and Seattle last season, combining for a 4.29 ERA through 50 1/3 frames in Triple-A.

Mariners Not Currently Listening To Offers On Luis Castillo

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Injuries to Ryan Bliss, Victor Robles, and Jorge Polanco have required the Mariners to drastically rethink their lineup in recent weeks. Bliss’s expected four-to-five month absence after undergoing surgery on his biceps leaves a hole at second base, which Polanco won’t be able to fill for at least another week or two as he’s been limited to DH-only duties by his own injuries. Robles, meanwhile, figures to be sidelined for at least three months by a shoulder fracture, which forced Luke Raley to move from first base to right field. That leaves two spots in the club’s infield that need to be filled, and while Miles Mastrobuoni and Rowdy Tellez are holding down the fort for the time being it’s hardly a surprise that the Mariners have begun exploring the market for infield help as they look to reconstruct their offense.

The idea of the Mariners searching the market for infield help is hardly a new one. Over the offseason, Seattle reportedly engaged in trade conversations regarding players like Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, and Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas. None of those trade talks ultimately gained enough traction for Seattle to bring an infielder into the fold, however, and so they went into the season with a largely unchanged infield aside from a minor addition in Donovan Solano. The hangup in those talks appears to have been the Mariners’ hesitation to part ways with a member of their excellent starting rotation. Seattle’s on-paper starting five of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, and Bryce Miller is in the conversation for the very best in the entire sport, but the team’s unwillingness to split up that quintet seemed to hamper trade talks this winter even as they reportedly at least listened to offers on Castillo.

If the club was reluctant to trade from its rotation this winter, they appear even more unlikely to do so now. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this morning that one unnamed organization offered the Mariners a young infielder in exchange for Castillo in the aftermath of Seattle’s recent injury woes but was rebuffed, with Seattle indicating that Castillo is off-limits for the time being. It’s notable that the club is holding firm on its desire to keep a strong starting rotation together, even if the details about the reported trade offer are rather sparse. It’s understandable that the Mariners wouldn’t want to compromise their starting pitching depth this early in the season, even in the face of their current woes on offense, given that Kirby is currently out of commission with shoulder inflammation.

Kirby is tentatively expected to be back at some point in May, but details on his recovery process have been relatively sparse so his exact timetable for a return is unclear. Nonetheless, it stands to reason that the Mariners wouldn’t be interested in dealing from a rotation that currently features just four starting pitchers until Kirby returns unless completely overwhelmed by an offer. That’s especially true given how well Castillo has pitched so far, with a 2.12 ERA and a 3.99 FIP across his first three starts of the season.

The Yankees and Mets entered the season with a number of notable rotation injuries and could certainly benefit from a proven starter like Castillo, and injuries will surely continue to plague the rotations of contenders in the coming weeks and months. Just today, the Cubs announced that ace southpaw Justin Steele will miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to impending elbow surgery. The Red Sox, Orioles, and Padres are among the other teams that have been bitten by the injury bug in the rotation to this point in the year, though that list could obviously look very different by the time trade season kicks into full gear.

Mariners Select Ben Williamson

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of third baseman Ben Williamson.  In corresponding moves, outfielder Dominic Canzone was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, and Ryan Bliss was moved to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster.

Since multiple injuries up and down the roster have left the Mariners in need of infield reinforcements, the door was opened for Williamson to earn the first call-up of his three-year career as a professional.  Williamson only made his Triple-A debut this season and has hit a modest .281/.317/.333 in 60 plate appearances in Tacoma, but the M’s can’t afford to be too picky given their lack of depth at the big league level.

Williamson was a second-round pick for the Mariners in the 2023 draft, and he has a total career slash line of .281/.366/.389 over 645 PA, with four home runs and 22 steals (in 29 attempts).  MLB Pipeline ranks him 13th on their list of Seattle prospects and Baseball America has him 14th, with BA’s scouting report describing Williamson as “a pest at the plate” due to his high contact rates and on-base skills.  While Williamson makes a lot of contact, he has lacked in hard contact and in overall power, as evidenced by his uninspiring slugging percentages even at the minor league level.

This may not be the ideal profile for a Mariners team in sore need of consistent hitting, but Williamson does offer immediate defensive help at third base.  He is regarded as an excellent fielder who can also chip in at second or shortstop, but the hot corner seems like his natural spot since regular third baseman Jorge Polanco has been limited to DH duty.  Williamson is a right-handed hitter that could pair with the lefty-swinging Miles Mastrobuoni in a platoon situation until Polanco is healthy enough to return to the field.

Since the Mariners are reportedly scanning the trade market for other infielders, Williamson might just be in line for a cup of coffee in the majors if Seattle can land some more experienced help elsewhere.  Beyond Polanco’s ongoing knee and side discomfort, Luke Raley has now moved from first base to the outfield in the wake of Victor Robles’ shoulder fracture, and Bliss will miss the next 4-5 months after undergoing surgery to fix a torn left biceps.  It was just a matter of time before the Mariners moved Bliss from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to free up a 40-man roster spot.

Mariners Outright Jesse Hahn

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Jesse Hahn has been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma.  Hahn cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  Since Hahn has more than three years’ worth of MLB service time, he has the right to reject that outright assignment in favor of free agency, but there isn’t yet any word on whether or not Hahn will test the market or stick in Seattle’s organization.

Hahn already quickly re-signed with the Mariners on a fresh minor league deal after they released him from a previous minors contract at the end of March, which might hint that Hahn will again stick around in Triple-A.  Hahn’s return to the M’s ended up landing the righty his first taste of Major League action since 2021, after the Mariners selected his contract and deployed him in two games last week.  Hahn threw four scoreless frames in those two appearances, albeit with three hits and four walks in that limited sample.

The 35-year-old Hahn has a 4.17 ERA over 315 1/3 career innings with the Padres, A’s, Royals, and Mariners.  Health issues have cost him big chunks of his career, as Hahn has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, and he also didn’t pitch at all in 2022-23 while recovering from a shoulder issue.  He returned to action to post a 4.29 ERA across 50 1/3 frames at the Triple-A level for the Dodgers and Mariners, as control issues continued to limit Hahn’s effectiveness.

Mariners Exploring Infield Market

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Injuries have quickly changed the complexion of the Mariners’ infield. Second baseman Ryan Bliss will miss four to five months after suffering a tear in his left biceps and undergoing surgery. First baseman Luke Raley has shifted to the outfield in the wake of a fracture in Victor Robles’ shoulder, which will sideline him for around 12 weeks. Jorge Polanco is currently relegated to DH work and won’t play the infield for another week or two, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. He underwent knee surgery back in October and is dealing with some discomfort in his side as well.

With those early changes to the infield composition, the Mariners are poking around the market for potential external additions, Jude further reports. A major trade this time of year is rare but not unheard of. The Brewers just picked up young right-hander Quinn Priester in a trade with the Red Sox earlier this week, helping to shore up an injury-ravaged rotation in Milwaukee. Last year’s trade of Luis Arraez from Miami to San Diego occurred in early May. Of course, the Mariners spent the bulk of the offseason pursuing trades to bolster their infield and ultimately wound up making a series of small free agent signings instead — clearly not finding a match to their liking.

It’s unlikely that there are any teams that have strongly rethought their status as postseason hopefuls just a few weeks into the season. As such, it’s unlikely that there are any players available on the trade market at present whose teams weren’t willing to discuss them over the winter. If the Mariners couldn’t find an offseason trade of note to bolster their infield, it’s hard to envision them suddenly doing so now.

That said, Jude notes that Seattle’s front office is “combing” other rosters and looking at veteran players who are on minor league deals elsewhere. Many veterans will have opt-out dates and upward mobility clauses in April. Article XX(b) free agents (i.e. six-plus years of MLB service, finished the preceding season on a major league roster/injured list) who signed minor league contracts have a uniform opt-out opportunity on May 1. MLBTR took a look at 36 such players late in camp, though the majority this year happened to be pitchers.

This type of acquisition wouldn’t necessarily be a sexy one, but the Mariners have gotten no production to date out of Rowdy Tellez or Donovan Solano, and they’re hitting .200/.303/.333 as a team as of this writing. The bar for improvement is fairly low. Tellez and Solano will surely get some runway to turn things around, but it’s sensible to looking at other, similar veteran options who could potentially be had on the cheap. Among the veteran infielders on minor league deals and hitting well in Triple-A with other clubs are Christian Arroyo (Phillies), Scott Kingery (Angels), Harold Castro (Royals), Nick Gordon (Royals) and Jake Lamb (Giants).

Help could always come from the farm system as well. Jude writes that the organization is prioritizing top prospect Cole Young’s development at the moment and doesn’t want to rush him to the big leagues but could consider an accelerated path for third baseman Ben Williamson. Young is hitting .178/.302/.267 in Triple-A at the moment anyhow, making it tough to consider him an upgrade. Williamson is a plus defender at third base who’s gotten some reps in the middle infield, too. He’s light on power but has plus contact skills and is out to a .286/.314/.347 start in Tacoma. He batted .283/.375/.394 in 541 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A last year. First baseman Tyler Locklear didn’t hit in his big league debut last year but is slashing .286/.359/.457 through his first nine games in Triple-A this season.

If Seattle’s offensive doldrums continue much longer and there’s no help to be found outside the organization, it stands to reason that Williamson and/or Locklear could get early looks to help right the ship.

Ryan Bliss To Miss 4-5 Months Due To Biceps Surgery

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The Mariners today provided an update on infielder Ryan Bliss, who was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a torn left biceps. Today’s announcement relays that an MRI confirmed the severity of the tear and the need for surgery, with an expected recovery timeline of four to five months.

It’s obviously a frustrating development for Bliss and the club. It’s unclear if that timeline includes an eventual rehab assignment or if it will take that long just to begin rehabbing. Either way, he will miss the majority of the campaign even in a best-case scenario and it seems possible that he won’t return in 2025 at all.

For the team, it’s the second big blow to their position player group in the past few days. Víctor Robles has a shoulder fracture and is expected to miss about three months while avoiding surgery, though that timeline could change if surgery eventually is required. Now Bliss is also going to be sidelined for multiple months.

Lack of offense was an issue for them last year and their infield was particularly concerning. Justin Turner and Jorge Polanco became free agents at season’s end, with Josh Rojas non-tendered as well. That left them with J.P. Crawford at shortstop and a few role players or unestablished young guys as candidates for the other spots. There were many offseason rumors surrounding their infield pursuits but they only made a couple of modest moves, bringing back Polanco to play third and signing Donovan Solano to chip in at the corners in a part-time/platoon role.

That left second base open for internal options, including Bliss, a nice opportunity for him. He came into 2025 with just 33 major league games under his belt but some intriguing minor league numbers. Over 2023 and 2024, he produced a combined line of .290/.378/.497 for various minor league clubs. That production led to a wRC+ of 120, indicating he was 20% above league average. He also stole 105 bases in 133 tries. The M’s acquired him from the Diamondbacks as part of the July 2023 trade that sent Paul Sewald to the desert.

Bliss hit just .200/.282/.314 to start this year but in a small sample of just ten games. He won’t be able to adjust that line any time soon. Between him and Robles, the club has to improvise a new lineup around two vacancies. Polanco is battling some knee issues and has been serving as the designated hitter lately. Luke Raley has moved from first base to right field to replace Robles, with Rowdy Tellez taking over at first, platooning with Solano. Dylan Moore, Miles Mastrobuoni and Leo Rivas figure to cover third and second base, at least until Polanco can take the field again. Cole Young is one of the top prospects in the league and could take over the keystone at some point but he is hitting .171/.292/.244 through 11 Triple-A games to start the year.

All clubs deal with injuries but it’s perhaps a little more concerning for Seattle. They didn’t have many resources available for upgrading their lineup this winter, giving them a somewhat narrow margin for error to begin the year. They have now limped out to a 5-8 start and will be without two lineup regulars for multiple months. Bliss should be moved to the 60-day IL whenever the Mariners need a roster spot.

Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images

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