MLB insider drops tasty breadcrumbs concerning Mariners extension candidates

For as many players as the Seattle Mariners have sent to the World Baseball Classic — seriously, it's a lot — also of note is how none of their starting pitchers are confirmed to partake. And if you listen to Jon Morosi, that might not be a coincidence.

In addition to spring training, it is also extension season around Major League Baseball. In chatting with Wyman and Bob on Seattle Sports on Tuesday, Morosi expressed worry about the Mariners running out of time to lock up their four homegrown starters. It sounded a bit like concern-trolling, but the MLB Network insider isn't exactly wrong either.

Then there's the point Morosi made about the "perfect attendance" of Mariners starters in camp: "If you're going to negotiate some massive contract and you're off pitching for your country, and you're not there to have the conversation or to be there every day to put in the work, I do think that becomes a little more challenging."

Is this a guarantee that Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby or Bryce Miller could sign something before Opening Day? Psh, yeah right… but Morosi referring to it as a "clue" is nothing if not interesting.

The time definitely is now for the Mariners to lock up one of their core starters

Just as a reminder, here are the free agency timelines for the aforementioned quartet of starters:

• Logan Gilbert: After 2027
• George Kirby: After 2028
• Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller: After 2029

Time is running short, particularly where Gilbert and Kirby are concerned. And while there hasn't been much buzz on a possible extension for Kirby, the Mariners and Gilbert coming to an agreement has been front of mind for fans for at least the last year.

That is a thorny situation, however. The Mariners are clearly ready to talk, but they also want Gilbert to come to them. Given that he's off a down year and is only two seasons from free agency, he faces a difficult question whether to pursue security now or to bet on himself. Frankly, we won't pretend there's a right answer.

Woo is the more straightforward candidate for an extension, as he's in that sweet spot between being established as a star and still too early in his career to look too far ahead. Most notably, he's also the one Mariners starter who has confirmed turning down a chance to pitch in the WBC for Team USA.

Yet if it's a question of which pitcher is mostly likely to sign an extension this spring, the answer may well be "nobody." Though the Mariners do have a history extending core stars under Jerry Dipoto, they also have a history of developing pitching. And right now, they have Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan positioned as the next aces up for the rotation.

While it's a hard situation to predict, Morosi may be onto something about the WBC aspect of all this. Even if nothing is necessarily imminent, there may be some sort of game afoot.