Who all has left the Mariners and who has replaced them heading into 2024
The Mariners have seen a ton of changes to their roster. Here's a look at who all has departed, and who has been acquired to replace them for 2024
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We've mentioned it in some of our articles this offseason, and it's going to be the focus of today's article. The Mariners have arguably made the most moves to their team out of anyone in baseball, and if you somehow were under a rock this offseason (or just waiting for the season to start) you are going to be quite surprised looking around the field at the new look Mariners.
The Mariners have seemingly made more trades this offseason than most teams have even made moves this offseason. 12 trades with 11 teams seems like something you would do if you took over a deep fantasy baseball team, or what you would do in MLB The Show if you were trying to totally remake a team. Instead, it was what Dipoto and Hollander did with a team that many think belongs in the playoffs, if not in the conversation for AL West supremacy.
It's enough of a change that the bullpen seems to be about half new guys and half returnees. Meanwhile, the players taking the field will literally be a 50% turnover, and that tips into over half your lineup being new when you add in Mitch Garver at DH, who just so happens to be the largest FA signing for a hitter ever in the Dipoto era... for now.
Who's new? Who's gone? It's easy to forget some of the names, so let's go through it all and see just how different the Mariners will look in 2024. Oh, Anthony DeSclafani, you get special mention here as we all watched you do the Abe Simpson as you walked in, took your hat off, turned around, put your hat back on, and walked right out to Minnesota.
Who the Mariners will miss in 2024
Well, maybe they won't miss them. Some of these guys definitely had the "hope the door hits them on the way out" feeling associated with watching them leave, while others we were genuinely sad to see go. Sorry about the cash, PTBNLs, or picks, but I'm not including you here.
Riley O'Brien - RP
Tatem Levins - C/1B
Isaiah Campbell - RP
Eugenio Suárez - 3B
Marco Gonzales - SP
Evan White - 1B/OF
Jarred Kelenic - OF
Robbie Ray - SP
José Caballero - UTIL
Justin Topa - RP
Gabriel Gonzalez - OF
Darren Bowen - SP
Zach DeLoach - OF
Prelander Berroa - RP
Darren McCaughan - SP
Teoscar Hernandez - OF
Tom Murphy - C
Mike Ford - 1B/DH
Holy cow is that a lot of players leaving the team. Some of them were AAA guys, or even a bit lower in Levins' case. It's easy to see why we as fans were worried early in the offseason. A lot of the team left to kick off the offseason, and there were a ton of holes after watching Teo leave, and then the Kelenic and Geno trades did not really net any immediate offensive replacements.
It's been a while, but it really did feel like there was a time that the Mariners were going to need somewhere around 3/4 bats to just field a semi-respectable lineup around Julio, Cal, and JP. Looking through the list, you can quickly see some of the needs in there. Ford was gone, and even though he wasn't great, he did have a nice OPS+ while providing pop for the team at DH. RF, LF, 3B, and backup catcher were all gone as well, as the Mariners jettisoned both their HR power and their K problem.
Some of these subtractions, like Cabby, felt like wins because they pulled from an area of strength (second base) to fill an area of need (outfield). If this was any other team in baseball, you would really be worried about how to replace those players, and the perceived value of the ones being brought in to do so. Instead, it was time to let Jerry and Justin cook.
Welcome these new faces to the Mariners in 2024
It's not just that the Mariners made a couple of moves this offseason. Instead, it was like the Front Office was handed a Bingo card and told that they had to hit a Bingo or else they were going to be fired, leading to an incredible 12 trades by the team.. For the first time since taking over, Dipoto and crew signed a hitter to a multi-year deal when they inked Mitch Garver to a 2/3 year deal. They also brought in a handful of flyers off of waiver claims, some of which have a shot at making the team.
Cody Bolton - RP
Blake Hunt - C
Luis Urías - 3B
Seby Zavala - C
Carlos Vargas - RP
Jackson Kowar - RP
Cole Phillips - RP
Mitch Haniger - OF
Luke Raley - OF
Jorge Polanco - 2B
Samad Taylor - UTIL
Gregory Santos - RP
Mitch Garver - DH
Levi Stoudt - SP
Austin Voth - RP
Mauricio Llovera - RP
Michael Chavis - UTIL
Look at how many new faces (or even returning faces) the Mariners have for this season. DH, 2B, 3B, LF, RF are all going to be new players. Over half of the lineup wasn't here when Game 162 finished, and it's an incredibly impressive offseason by Dipoto and Hollander to re-shape this team given the ridiculous financial constraints imposed upon them by the joke that is John Stanton.
This team is better (on paper) than they were to finish out 2023. They're deeper, the bullpen might be a bit thinner, but if healthy they are going to be more dangerous in the 1-2-3 than they were last year with Brash, Munoz, and Santos evoking thoughts of the 15/16 Royals. Voth is a fun addition as a long reliever/middle reliever, they got Stoudt back on waivers, and Samad Taylor is an intriguing piece with wild speed if he can get on base enough to use it.
The ceiling is definitely higher with the 2024 Mariners, but it comes with a higher risk as well. It's going to be fun to see how all these new faces fare throughout Spring Training and into the season, and it should make for an exciting 2024 season.