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3 players on Mariners' 40-man roster they should DFA in favor of Levi Stoudt

The Mariners could bring back an old friend to help round out the fringes of the roster.

By Trevor Pedro |
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Jerry Dipoto, the Mariner's President of Baseball Operations, and Justin Hollander, the General Manager, shipped some quality starting rotation depth out the door in their effort to remake the lineup. Southpaws Marco Gonzales, Robbie Ray, and longtime Tacoma Rainier Darren McCaughan are in the National League with the Pirates, Giants, and Marlins, respectively. The result is a large gap between the estimated starting five and quality depth in the minor leagues. 

The current depth chart shows the following three: Emerson Hancock, Jackson Kowar, and Tyson Ross. There will undoubtedly be more candidates for the Tacoma rotation since a couple of dozen non-roster invite pitchers, also known as camp arms, are headed to Peoria this week. One of those contenders could be a former Mariner who's back on the market, righthander Levi Stoudt. 

The Mariners shipped Stoudt and three additional prospects to Cinncinati in the 2022 Luis Castillo trade. The 26-year-old starter was a Top 15 prospect in the Mariners' system but lost some of his shine after the trade. This season, he made his Major League Debut with mediocre results in four games of work (two starts). Stoudt struck out nine batters over ten innings, which is pretty decent, but the walks are a problem (8 BB) and will be if the Mariners decide on a homecoming. 

If Dipoto and Hollander decide to bring Stoudt back into the fold, even if it is for depth in Tacoma, three 40-man players could be out of a job. 

Collin Snider

The first man up is an exciting waiver claim from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Collin Snider. The middle reliever offers multi-inning flexibility and a pitch mix including some outstanding spin. His offspeed pitches have spin rates above 2500 RPM, with the slider in elite territory (2780). Snider also misses bats (4.2%), ranking in the 90th percentile.

Why would they cut ties with the 28-year-old? Because he has cleared waivers twice this offseason. Could they push him through a third time? 

Mauricio Llovera

The 27-year-old reliever is a new addition to the Mariners via a waiver claim with the Boston Red Sox. While Llovera doesn't throw particularly hard, he does have a high-spin slider (2555 RPM) and the ability to miss barrels (80th percentile). Like Stoudt, he also has a penchant for giving out free passes, with his career-low being 9.4%. 

Again, it depends on the Mariner pitching lab confidence level in unlocking yet another reliever with a unique trait.

Taylor Trammell

The Mariners have a logjam of lefty-swinging outfielders, so much so that they traded one to the White Sox this offseason in the Gregory Santos transaction. The headcount includes Cade Marlowe, Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley, switch-hitter Sam Haggerty, and Taylor Trammell. The latter is out of minor league options, meaning he either makes the team out of spring training or Dipoto trades him in a minor transaction for pitching depth. 

Then again, with another offseason of Driveline behind him, Trammell, a fan favorite, could surprise and break camp as the fourth outfielder. We've seen stranger things happen.

We'll see plenty of roster churn on the fringes this spring, with Stoudt possibly being the next waiver claim on the docket. There is a world where the Mariner's front office might beckon him back to his roots. They may see something in the 26-year-old as a multi-inning reliever who could compete with Austin Voth and Trent Thornton. Who knows? There are some exciting parallels behind his pitch mix and, say, that of Isaiah Campbell.

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