3 Mariners players who've already proven they don't belong on the roster after May 1

It has only taken a few weeks for the Seattle Mariners to disappoint their fans. In fact, some fans are already calling for a change in ownership, literally.

Even after an outstanding come-from-behind walk-off victory to narrowly steal a series win from the Houston Astros, the team has done little to convince the baseball world they are worthy of being a postseason contender. If they want to right what is currently a sinking ship, they'll have to make some roster moves, preferably as soon as possible.

The Mariners should cut these 3 players loose before the season gets to May 1

DH Mitch Garver

It seems pretty clear at this point that the Mitch Garver sought after by Seattle in free agency after the 2023 season is not the one that they received in the mail. His 86 OPS+ over 430 plate appearances in 2024 was already disappointing and so far in 2025, it seems like he's continuing right where he left off. He has just three hits (all singles) in 21 at-bats.

At worst, this will be the final year of his contract before either he or the organization declines his $12 million mutual option. However, despite the money the club has already committed to him, it may be worth it to cut him loose early, taking a financial hit but opening up his roster spot. The team recentlymade a similar move with Mitch Haniger despite him being one of the highest-paid players on the roster.

With Garver out of the picture, the Mariners would need another backup catcher, but it would free up plate appearances at DH, either for players already on the team or a new bat acquired from elsewhere. It would raise yet another point of positional uncertainty, but the productivity from a currently unknown source will likely be better than what they're currently getting out of Garver.

RP Collin Snider

The bullpen has gotten great results out of a healthy Gregory Santos and now awaits the return of Matt Brash to bring their relief pitching to its full strength. When he does return, a clear candidate to be replaced would be Collin Snider.

He had great numbers in 2024, posting a 1.94 ERA over 41.2 innings, but has seemingly regressed to where he was while with the Royals. His current ERA of 4.76 isn't horrible and his 2.29 FIP is quite good but his WHIP of 1.77 should be a cause for major concern. Typically, the best relievers limit traffic as much as possible and having nearly two baserunners every inning is an unsustainable model for success, especially in high-leverage situations.

So far, Seattle's bullpen has combined for a 3.11 ERA over 55 innings, only making Snider more of a negative outlier by comparison. It may still be a few weeks before Brash is fully ready to pitch but when he does, expect the pitching staff to take yet another step forward.

1B Rowdy Tellez

Based on his spring training numbers, the front office didn't make a mistake by putting Rowdy Tellez on the big-league roster, but they have made a mistake by letting him stick around as long as he has. Over his 23 plate appearances, he's slashing .050/.130/.050 with one hit and one RBI.

Having any position player with these numbers is already unacceptable, but as a first baseman, his offensive expectations should be even higher given his lower defensive responsibility. In some cases, it'd be worth sticking it out a little longer to see if his numbers improve but given the numbers from his past two seasons, there isn't much reason for optimism. He had a 81 OPS+ over 351 plate appearances in 2023 and a 90 OPS+ over 421 plate appearances in 2024, falling below replacement level for both years.

On the bright side, Tellez isn't signed to a very significant contract. He inked a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. So if the Mariners do cut him loose, they won't be losing much of an investment. It's true that they don't have a strong backup player to take over at first base but at this point, it's about cutting losses.

Luke Raley proved to be a capable bat and first baseman in 2024, so it's possible that he takes over full time. Alternatively, perhaps it's time to give Tyler Locklear another shot at the majors. Regardless, whoever they call upon next can't be much worse than what they currently have.