3 contract extension candidates for Mariners heading into 2025

Looking back, 2024 wasn't all bad for the Seattle Mariners. Sure, they blew a 10-game division lead in record time, ended up missing the postseason by quite literally one game, and let the Houston Astros win the AL West for the seventh time in eight years, but surely there's a silver lining, right?

The upside of having such a rollercoaster season was that the few players who were consistent stood out even more. With only a few bigger names signed to long-term deals, who are some other candidates the Mariners could feasibly sign to a contract extension this offseason?

3 contract extension candidates for Mariners heading into 2025

SP Bryce Miller

We have only seen two seasons of Bryce Miller, but the leap he made from 2023 to 2024 was significant. After a satisfactory 4.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP during his rookie campaign, his sophomore season saw him post a 2.94 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 180.1 innings, making him the most valuable pitcher on the team by rWAR (3.7) with a comfortable lead over second-place Logan Gilbert.

In fact, Gilbert had some excellent commentary about his teammate's incredible improvements year-over-year.

Miller still has several years of team control and isn't anticipated to hit free agency until 2030, but his potential upside is clearly immense. The front office may not be in a rush, but having a league-leading rotation with the majority of the arms secured and happy could be enticing to future free agents deciding to sign with Seattle.

C Cal Raleigh

Despite a renowned group of starting pitchers, Cal Raleigh still emerged as the most valuable member of the team by rWAR, posting a career-high figure of 4.6, largely boosted by his above-average offensive output from a traditionally weak position.

Defensively, he was exceptional, accumulating 17 Defensive Runs Saved, placing in the 98th percentile for Framing Runs Above Average, and earning himself a Gold Glove nod.

Raleigh will be a free agent in 2028 and is about to turn 28 years old, meaning he'll be just over 30 when his team control runs out. If the Mariners are serious about acquiring more offense this winter, why not avoid a future headache by holding onto a power-hitting switch-hitter that's already on the team?

SP Logan Gilbert

While the 2024 AL Cy Young award has Tarik Skubal's name written on it, it would be astonishing if Gilbert didn't at least receive some votes for the first time in his career.

Although he led all of MLB in innings pitched, he still managed to post a 3.23 ERA and lead MLB in WHIP (0.89) even with the gargantuan 208 2/3 innings workload. His 9.5 K/9 was also a personal best for any season with more than 120 innings pitched.

Discussions over his extension haven't officially started but there's no need to worry; there are likely reasons (that don't involve him being traded) for that. It may not happen this winter but if the Mariners don't make a concerted effort to keep one of their premier pitching talents around, the front office should be more closely investigated to see if they're secretly Astros employees working undercover.