Every Mariners player who is out of minor-league options heading into 2025

The Seattle Mariners should be one of the more active teams in free agency this offseason as they have multiple roster spots in need of an upgrade. Competition is going to remain stiff in the AL West, as the pesky Astros will find a way to field a tough roster and the Rangers and A's have nowhere to go but up.

Seattle has already sent Jorge Polanco and Luis Urias packing, and Justin Turner and Yimi Garcia became unrestricted free agents. Non-tenders will shake things up even further, but what about players who can't be sent down to the minors once 2025 rolls around?

A lack of flexibility when it comes to minor league options either forces a team's hand to keep a player on their roster however they can, or pushes them to cut ties. The Mariners have a boatload of players who will not be able to be optioned next year without first being exposed to the waiver wire.

Which Mariners players are out of options heading into 2025?

Eduard Bazardo

Bazardo, 29, has four years in the big leagues under his belt and is already with his third organization. The right-hander strikes a lot of batters out but is best utilized as a middle reliever or low-leverage arm. He isn't very high on the totem pole and couuld be one of the first players to be cut once the Mariners start bringing in more faces via free agency.

Sam Haggerty

Over the past few years, Haggerty has carved out a nice little role for himself on the Mariners. He's a switch-hitter who can play all over the diamond and steal bases, but the 2024 campaign was a dreadful one for him. His season consisted of eight games at the big league level and eventually became the fourth straight injury-shortened one for him.

Haggerty and Dylan Moore fill very similar roles on the Mariners, and it's tough to see them both getting enough playing time moving forward. Defensive versatility is nice, but there's likely only going to be room for one of them; and let's just say Moore doesn't struggle with injuries and just won a Utility Gold Glove Award.

Luke Raley

Of all the players that are out of options heading into next season, Raley's job feels the safest. The Mariners are loud and proud about their pursuit of a first baseman this winter, but Raley did a solid job last year bouncing around between first and all three outfield positions. The four-year veteran hit 22 home runs while sporting a .783 OPS and 129 OPS+, which is better than the vast majority of his teammates were this past season.

Collin Snider

Speaking of players who are safe: Snider and his dominant 1.94 ERA across 42 outings in 2024 isn't going anywhere. The Mariners have a knack for finding diamonds in the rough, especially when it comes to relief pitchers, and Snider is just the latest example of that. His 3.41 FIP suggests that his 1.94 ERA has a little bit of luck worked in there, but he struck out over 10 batters per nine innings while cutting down his hit and walk rate significantly.

Gabe Speier

Speier is currently the only left-handed pitcher projected to make the Mariners' 2025 Opening Day roster. He's also one of three lefty relievers on the 40-man and is likely the best option they've got ... for now. The 29-year-old posted a 5.70 ERA across 29 outings this past season, but his 3.51 FIP and 12.5 K/9 provide some optimism going forward. He's not a lock to make the cut next year, but he's also not exactly in danger of losing his job.

Trent Thornton

Thornton is yet another reliever who logged a boatload of innings for the Mariners in 2024. He made a career-high 71 appearances and posted a 3.61 ERA and 3.47 FIP while tying a career-best 9.6 K/9 rate. He's durable and reliable and the Mariners love that they can use him in a variety of different roles. He's somewhat replacable, but odds are he'll be back come Opening Day.

Carlos Vargas

To date, the only big league innings Vargas has to his name came in a five-game stint for the Diamondbacks in 2023. The right-hander spent the entirety of the 2024 campaign in the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, but he did practically nothing at an above-average clip. His 3.54 ERA is respectable, but he's always had troubles with walks, and his strikeouts are way down from his career norm.