The Seattle Mariners announced Friday that they have tendered contracts to 31 of their 34 eligible players. The three players not tendered contract offers are RHP Gregory Santos, RHP Trent Thornton, and LHP Tayler Saucedo, meaning each player is now a free agent. All players who’ve yet to accumulate service time needed to reach arbitration will automatically be retained at the offered, league-minimum adjacent rate. Those in arbitration will either agree to a deal before the January 8th deadline for negotiations,
or enter arbitration formally and see their contract determined by a judge if the team cannot bring them to an agreement. Saucedo was already known to be departing. The hometown southpaw had some strong moments for Seattle in 2023 and 2024, but struggled mightily in 2025 and saw himself relegated to Triple-A Tacoma amidst a loss in velocity and efficacy. The 32 year old is a minor league contract candidate for any club seeking lefty depth. Thornton had a similar path, joining the M’s from Toronto in 2023 as well, and finding his footing as a workhorse in the pen in 2024. He pitched in nearly half of Seattle’s games a season ago, with a 3.61/3.47 ERA/FIP in 72.1 innings across 71 games. His workload caught up to him in 2025, as his velocity dipped with injuries, heat stroke, and ultimately a gruesome Achilles injury that left him sidelined for the year. Reaching mascot-like status within the clubhouse, Thornton retained high spirits as he rolled around the dugout, bullpen, and field late in the season with the M’s, with his jersey toted around by his teammates on road trips. The 32 year old righty delivered one of the more delightful moments of the season, rounding the bases on his scooter to the elation of his teammates and fans amidst the celebrations of Seattle’s playoff-clinching win over the Colorado Rockies. He’ll seek a club willing to host the completion of his rehab process, also likely on a minor league deal.
Last is Santos, the unfortunately unsuccessful acquisition from the Chicago White Sox at the cost of RHP Prelander Berroa and OF Zach DeLoach. I’ll spare you the hand-wringing: Berroa struggled in 2024 with a continued demonstration of a walk rate beyond tenability, then sadly suffered an elbow injury requiring Tommy John surgery at the start of 2025. DeLoach debuted in 2024 as well, but didn’t earn a second look in 2025, before injuries and unimpressive performance kept him with Triple-A Charlotte all season. Santos, unfortunately, put up one of the more ignominious showings of the M’s season in his short time in the bigs. The 26 year old failed to record a strikeout across eight appearances, walking eight and flipping a pair of wild pitches. He struggled to show improvement in Tacoma, hitting the injured list once again and missing the zone more than he missed bats by many degrees. Hopefully, health awaits the righty, and with it a fresh start.
