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The Seattle Mariners have had plenty of bad contracts, but which has been the worst? Here is a top 15 countdown of the worst free agent contracts in their history.
Ranking the 15 worst free agent signings in Mariners history
Honorable Mention: Robinson Cano: 2014, 10 years, $240 million
Many fans would tell you Cano's contract was among the worst in Mariners history. It simply is not true. He does get an honorable mention on this list, but that's mostly because of his suspension in 2018 and the ensuing trade.
Cano was a three-time All-Star in Seattle, worth 23.9 bWAR for an average of nearly 5 WAR per year. He slugged 107 home runs, 159 doubles and hit for a .296 batting average. His OPS+ in Seattle was 129, and he drove in 411 runs.
Despite the suspension for PED use, the Mariners were able to package Cano with Edwin Díaz and were not on the hook for most of his contract. Plus, they got Jarred Kelenic, who admittedly did not work out, but was a valuable prospect acquisition at the time.
15. Mitch Garver: 2023, 2 years, $24 million
Garver signed with the Mariners after a strong 2023 season with the Texas Rangers. Seattle hoped he could serve as a steady designated hitter. So far, he has been anything but.
His 2024 season was OK, in which Garver belted 15 home runs but did very little else. So far in 2025, he has just one home run and has struggled to find at-bats, being replaced at DH by Jorge Polanco. His $12 million per season is already an overpay for a backup catcher. It is especially an overpay for a backup catcher worth -0.1 bWAR and posting a .566 OPS.
14. Robbie Ray: 2021, 5 years, $115 million
This might be a controversial name to include, because Ray actually had a great second half in 2022, the one season he pitched a full year with Seattle. If not for him, we might be talking about a 24-year playoff drought.
Ray's inclusion on this list is admittedly not his fault. He started 33 games, pitching to a 3.79 ERA and a 12-13 record. Yes, he allowed a walk-off home run to Yordan Alvarez in Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS, but he also was one of the big reasons the Mariners got there in the first place. Then he got hurt, sat out the entirety of 2023, and was traded for Mitch Haniger. Now, the Mariners are paying Haniger to not play, while Ray has returned to form for the San Francisco Giants..
If the 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner was still in Seattle and pitching the way he is in San Francisco, he might not be on this list. But the fact remains that the Mariners paid Ray for two years, and were then on the hook for two more years of an expensive Haniger contract because of the Ray trade.
13. Jarrod Washburn: 2005, 4 years, $37.5 million
Going purely by WAR, Washburn probably does not deserve to be on this list. The left-hander was worth 8.2 bWAR with Seattle over three-and-a-half years, making him an above-average player.
However, the rest of his stats tell a different story. In his first three years in Seattle, Washburn posted a 4.55 ERA, 1.394 WHIP and a record of 23-43. He turned things around in his final year in Seattle, with a 2.64 ERA in 20 starts, but was traded to the Detroit Tigers.
12. AJ Pollock: 2023, 1 year, $7 million
Pollock was signed with the expectation that he would provide depth in the outfield and at designated hitter for a 2023 team that was looking to build on their success from the previous year. He made it into just 49 games, finishing his time in Seattle with a dreadful .173/.225/.323 slash line, good for a 54 OPS+ and -0.5 bWAR.
11. Jose Mesa: 1998, 2 years, $6.8 million
Mesa was a generally productive closer throughout his career. The right-handed reliever posted a career ERA of 4.36, with 321 saves and 11.4 bWAR. In Seattle, it was a different story. In two seasons, Mesa compiled a 5.18 ERA and a 7-12 record. He managed 33 saves before being removed from the closer role.
10. Willie Bloomquist: 2014, 2 years, $5.8 million
Bloomquist had a magical 48-game stint with the Diamondbacks in 2013, in which the then-35-year-old hit .317 and posted a 101 OPS+. The Mariners rewarded the veteran with a two-year contract worth almost $6 million. It did not pan out as the M's hoped. Bloomquist was worth -0.2 bWAR, with a .549 OPS across 82 games.
9. Joe Saunders: 2013, 1 year, $6.5 million
Saunders represents another lackluster one-year deal for the Mariners. Once an All-Star for the division rival Angels, Saunders posted -0.4 bWAR in one season with Seattle. He finished with a 5.26 ERA and a record of 11-16.
8. Jeff Weaver: 2007, 1 year, $8 million
While it was only a one-year contract, Weaver's 2007 season in Seattle is among the worst full seasons of all-time for a starting pitcher. He made 27 starts, finishing with a 6.20 ERA and a 7-13 record. Surprisingly, he did manage to toss two complete-game shutouts, or else his final stat line would have been even worse!
7. Scott Spiezio: 2003, 3 years, $9 million
Before he signed with the Mariners ahead of the 2004 season, Spiezio had never had a season with negative WAR. In classic Seattle fashion, it happened twice with the Mariners. Spiezio only made it through two of his three years, and it's clear why. He slashed .198/.272/.324, good for an OPS+ of 57 and a combined bWAR of -1.8.
6. Yusei Kikuchi: 2018, 4 years, $56 million
Despite making an All-Star team in Seattle, Kikuchi's contract wound up being lackluster. The Japanese starter struggled in his rookie campaign, making 32 starts to the tune of a 5.46 ERA and a 6-11 record. He improved to a 5.17 ERA in 2020, but did not make much impact in a COVID-shortened year.
In 2021, Kikuchi had a solid first half and was selected for the All-Star Game. However, he fell apart in the second half, finishing the year with a 7-9 record and 4.41 ERA in 29 starts. Overall, as a Mariner, he was worth 1.9 bWAR, making him just slightly above replacement level. Not good enough for a guy being paid $14 million per year.
5. Miguel Batista: 2006, 3 years, $24 million
The Mariners signed Batista to a three-year contract worth $8 million per season in 2006, with Batista already past 35 years old. The results were solid in year one, with Batista making 32 starts and finishing with a respectable 4.29 ERA and 2.8 bWAR. If the deal had ended there, it would have been a solid contract.
That's because things fell off a cliff for the right-hander the next season in Seattle. Batista made 20 starts in 2008 before being converted to a reliever. He finished the year with a 6.26 ERA and had a record of 4-14. Ultimately, in his three years in Seattle, he was worth 0.7 total bWAR, with an ERA+ of 89. Not terrible, but not worth the money or the length of the contract.
4. Richie Sexson: 2005, 4 years, $50 million
Sexson, to his credit, was great in his first year with the Mariners. The slugger hit 39 home runs and 36 doubles and finished with a .910 OPS. Despite leading the league with 167 strikeouts, he finished 15th in AL MVP voting.
Things went downhill from there. Sexson still managed 34 home runs and 40 doubles in year two with Seattle, but saw his OPS dip to .842. After that, he fell off a cliff. In his last two years with the Mariners, Sexson slashed .211/.306/.392. Ultimately, he finished his time in Seattle with 5.5 bWAR, which comes out to about 1.4 WAR per season. For a guy who was being paid to be a superstar, that just did not cut it.
3. Jeff Cirillo: 2001, 4 years, $27 million
Cirillo had a solid first season in Seattle, but fell apart in year two and did not finish out the second half of his contract. The corner infielder finished his Mariners career with a slas hline of .234/.295/.308, for a 64 OPS+. His -0.1 bWAR was nowhere near the level of production he was paid to perform at.
2. Chone Figgins: 2009, 4 years, $36 million
In 2009, Figgins was worth 7.7 bWAR with the Angels, finishing 10th in MVP voting and making his first All-Star appearance at the age of 31. The Mariners signed him and expected him to be a leader on both offense and defense.
What they got instead was a colossal disappointment. Across three years in Seattle, Figgins was worth -0.9 bWAR. He slashed .227/.302/.283, good for an OPS+ of 68. He did contribute on the basepaths, stealing 57 bases. However, his lack of power and on-base performance tanked his time with the Mariners.
1. Carlos Silva: 2007, 4 years, $48 million
Of all the bad contracts in Mariners history, this one is the worst. Silva had a career ERA of 4.31 before the Mariners committed $48 million to him over four years. Never an ace, Silva had posted a few solid years and a few bad ones.
In Seattle, it was all bad. He lasted just two years with the Mariners, posting a 5-18 record, a 6.81 ERA, 1.617 WHIP and -2.8 bWAR. The Mariners traded him to the Cubs for veteran outfielder Milton Bradley, who contributed exactly 0 bWAR over two years while being paid $24 million (the same amount Silva would have been owed). This contract was a disaster no matter how you spin it.