3 Mariners who may not survive the 2026 season on major league roster

The Mariners finally got around to announcing their Opening Day roster and while there aren't many surprises, there are definitely some names that may not stick around the long haul. Every team is going to shuffle names around over the course of the 162-game season and for Seattle, the first names to be cut are likely the ones that you're already thinking of.

These 3 Mariners may not be long for the major league roster

RHP Casey Legumina

Legumina's 2025 campaign was both the best and worst year of his three-year big league career. He was able to set a new career-high for innings pitched (49.2) but primarily pitched in low leverage, non-save situations. Given his 5.62 ERA and 4.38 FIP, it's difficult to see how else he could've been used out of the bullpen.

Nonetheless, he did have some redeeming qualities. His 25.1 strikeout rate was above league-average and his four-seam fastball had some promise with a 28.4 whiff rate. But without more arsenal depth and compelling stuff, it's difficult to see how he fits in a talent-stacked bullpen. Relievers are typically the most expendable part of any roster and for the Mariners, Legumina seems like the weakest link.

INF Leo Rivas

Rivas's precarious place on the roster is through no fault of his own. The 28-year-old utility infielder has been effective as a depth option, playing solid defense at multiple positions and even taking an offensive step forward at the plate last year, posting a 113 OPS+. Furthermore, who could forget the critical playoff contribution he made on his birthday?

Instead, Rivas is simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Mariners suddenly have a glut of middle infield talent both at the big league level (Cole Young, Brendan Donovan, J.P. Crawford) and in their farm system (Colt Emerson, Michael Arroyo, Felnin Celesten, Brock Rodden).

In fact, the only reason Rivas is on the Opening Day roster is because of J.P. Crawford's recent trip to the injured list and the team's need for a shortstop in the interim. He'll do the job as long as he's needed, but with Colt Emerson knocking on the door of the majors and others soon following behind him, Rivas is likely worth more as a trade asset than a roster piece.

OF Víctor Robles

The outlook for Robles isn't looking very good. After a 2025 season marred by injury, his return to spring training did little to assuage concerns about his performance, posting a .518 OPS over 46 plate appearances. A closer look at his Cactus League numbers only amplifies any worries fans may have about what's to come in 2026.

Other than his swing and whiff rates, Robles was below-average on many of his Statcast numbers in spring training. In particular, his 90th percentile exit velocity of 99.7 mph placed him in the bottom decile of hitters and his 4.3 walk rate didn't exactly compensate for a lack of pop. Normally, concerning numbers over a small sample like spring training don't matter too much, but because these two factors were also major inhibitors last season, it suggests that old habits haven't exactly gone away.

On the bright side, Robles is in the last year of his original two-year extension and is only slated to cost $5.125 million, according to Cot's Contracts. These financial terms should make him easier to move prior to the trade deadline and if not, his payroll burden shouldn't hurt the team too much.

In some ways, it seems like the Mariners were bracing themselves for this decision. Although they already had alternative options in right field like Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley, they pursued Rob Refsnyder in the offseason to give them even more depth. With plenty of backup options, trading, designating, or releasing Robles should be a pretty pain-free process when and if that time eventually comes.