It's hard to believe, but we're already less than a month away from Mariners pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training in Peoria, Arizona. This will be just the first stage in preparing for one of the most important seasons in franchise history, with a limited window to take advantage of arguably the best rotation in the Majors.
The actual date for Mariners pitchers and catchers to report is Feb. 12, which is the case for the majority of Major League clubs. However, there are still plenty of free agents who don't yet know if they will be heading to Arizona or Florida, including big names such as Pete Alonso and Max Scherzer, along with Alex Bregman, who we've already written that the M's should make a play for.
The list of free agents includes plenty of players with ties to the Mariners, in some instances people who fans in Seattle had a soft spot for at one time or another. (We do NOT mean you Jesse Winker!) Here's a look at five players who were once beloved in the Pacific Northwest and are still waiting to sign on with new clubs.
5 former Seattle Mariners still without a team heading into 2025
Ty France
The decline of Ty France has been tough to watch, considering how his time with the Mariners began after arriving in a trade from the San Diego Padres back in 2020. In truth, not much was anticipated from him in Seattle, but almost immediately it seemed as if the club had unearthed a gem, as evidenced by his .302/.362/.453 slash line and .815 OPS over the final 23 games of the 2020 campaign.
France became an everyday starter the following year, mostly deployed at first base but really standing out because of his bat production, highlighted by 18 home runs and 73 RBI. In 2022 he had the best season of his Major League career, as he hit personal highs of 20 homers and 83 RBI, while also being named an All-Star for the first time.
Not considered too much of a concern at the time, France's production dipped as the 2022 season progressed, but when this continued into 2023, people started to take notice. His struggles became even worse last year, to the point that the Mariners placed him on outright waivers, and soon after he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for the final two months of the season.
Chris Flexen
No one would ever mistake Chris Flexen for being of the same quality as anyone in the Mariners' projected rotation for this coming season. However, this doesn't take away from the fact he was the club's best starter back in 2021, when he arrived in Seattle after a stint with the KBO in South Korea.
Flexen was both outstanding and reliable, as he led the Mariners rotation with career bests of 31 starts, 14 wins, a 3.61 ERA, 179 2/3 innings pitched and a 3.4 WAR. He wasn't quite as effective the following season but still played his role in helping the club break their 21-year playoff drought, including moving to the bullpen after Luis Castillo arrived from Cincinnati.
Unfortunately for Flexen, he struggled terribly in 2023, recording an 0-4 record, 7.71 ERA, 6.64 FIP and 1.857 WHIP in 17 appearances before being designated for assignment. He was subsequently traded to the New York Mets, who he began his Major League career with, albeit he was released three days later and played out the remainder of the season with the Colorado Rockies.
Paul Sewald
For all the criticism Jerry Dipoto has received over the years for his apparent struggles to find quality bats, he has received just as much praise when it comes to his success with pitching. Paul Sewald represents one of the prime examples of this, as a reclamation project gone well.
Sewald was signed to a minor league deal prior to the 2021 season and began the year in Triple-A, but by May was with the Mariners, going on to justify this move with 11 saves, a 3.06 ERA, 3.08 FIP and 1.021 WHIP in 62 appearances. This was nothing compared to the follow season however, when he took over as the club's main closer and was sensational, with 20 saves, a 2.67 ERA, 3.88 FIP and 0.766 WHIP in 65 games.
The 2023 campaign saw Sewald continue to excel, as he produced 21 saves, a 2.93 ERA, 2.95 FIP and 1.023 WHIP in 45 appearances, before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a move which stunned Mariners teammates and fans alike. He went on to help the Diamondbacks reach the World Series, while people back in Seattle were left to wonder about what might have been, as the M's missed the playoffs by one game.
Adam Frazier
While he only spent one season in Seattle, Adam Frazier earned a special place in the hearts of Mariners fans. No one putting more effort in on the field, and the Mariners got the most out of his skill set. He was the ultimate team player and helped the M's end their long playoff drought.
Frazier arrived in the Pacific Northwest as the result of a trade from the Padres. Now, admittedly, he did actually have one of the worst offensive seasons of his time in the Majors — the curse of T-Mobile Park strikes again — but he was still important enough to the Mariners to play in a career-high 156 games.
Where Frazier really helped the Mariners was with his versatility, as he played games at shortstop and second base, as well as all three outfield positions. As with the majority of his teammates, he enjoyed his first ever exposure to playoff baseball and contributed to the Wild Card series win versus the Toronto Blue Jays, with four hits and one RBI during the two games.
Justin Turner
Okay, this last player is a bit of a "cheat" in that Justin Turner literally just played for the Mariners last season. However, it doesn't take away from the reality he was a fan favorite in Seattle, who immediately settled in as a team leader.
While Turner's offensive stats might not have been comparable to his glory days with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he still proved to be a key component of the offensive revival after Dan Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager. Using all of his 16 years of Major League experience, he was able to navigate the challenges of the cavernous T-Mobile Park and succeed, highlighted by a .363 OBP and 128 OPS+ which would have been second- and third-best on the club if projected over a full season.
Another reason we wanted to include Turner is because he's the one player out of the five with the best chance of ending up returning to Seattle for the 2025 season. Certainly the Mariners have indicated they would like him back to platoon with Luke Raley and play some DH, although the 40-year-old is seemingly in no hurry to make a decision. Addtionally, there is some belief that the signing of Donovan Solano makes it less likely to happen now.