Mariners: 3 Players Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

Jake Bauers will fall victim to a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario in Seattle this offseason, as the Mariners are stacked in the outfield with Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, Mitch Haniger, Taylor Trammell, Jake Fraley, and potentially Julio Rodriguez all expected to see playing time next season.

Bauers, a 26-year-old outfielder/first baseman acquired from the Cleveland Indians in the early part of the season, primarily served as a left-handed pinch-hitter and late-inning defensive replacement during the course of his Mariners tenure. While his defense was impressive, his .220/.297/.275 slash line at the plate doesn’t merit him a roster spot moving forward.

However, Bauers’s status as a former top-100 prospect and his relative youth could make him a relatively attractive trade piece this offseason. If the Mariners were to shop Bauers on the trade market, he could return at least a decent minor league catcher who could replace Carter Bins, a promising young catcher traded at the trade deadline for starting pitcher Tyler Anderson.

With Bauers under pure team control for one more season, Seattle doesn’t need to release him if they don’t want to offer him anything more than the MLB minimum of $570,500. So, we could see him at AAA Tacoma to begin the season, but it’s unlikely he will appear in Seattle.