Mariners avoid complications with their 7 arbitration-eligible players

The Mariners agreed terms with all of their arbitration-eligible players and based on previous projections, they seemingly also saved money.

Thursday was a big day for the Seattle Mariners, as it represented the deadline to come to terms with seven of their players and avoid arbitration. As such there was a lot of relief all around, as executive vice president and general manager Justin Hollander confirmed the club had agreed to 2025 terms with all seven of their arbitration-eligible players.

The seven players include outfielder Randy Arozarena and catcher Cal Raleigh, along with starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. The other players in question are relief pitchers Trent Thornton, Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier.

Aside from the relief that comes with avoiding arbitration full stop, another positive was that the Mariners theoretically actually saved money in these negotiations. Keep in mind that the reason we say theoretically, is because this is based on a combination of previous arbitration salary projections by MLB Trade Rumors and the agreed figures which have been reported:

PLAYER	PROJECTION	SETTLEMENT
Randy Arozarena	$11.7 million	$11.3 million
Logan Gilbert	$8.1 million	$7.625 million
Cal Raleigh	$5.6 million	$5.6 million
George Kirby	$5.5 million	$4.3 million
Trent Thornton	$2.1 million	$2 million
Tayler Saucedo	$1 million	Undisclosed
Gabe Speier	$900k	Undisclosed

Now we appreciate that projections are indicators rather than being guaranteed, while the reported figures are as yet unconfirmed. However, in theory the Mariners have saved $1.975 million, pending finding out the agreement figures for Saucedo and Speier.

It has been widely speculated the Mariners have around $15 million of spare payroll to bring in new players. Perhaps the near $2 million saved on arbitration-eligible agreements can now be added as extra spare payroll, but we appreciate it doesn’t necessarily work like that.

A couple of deserving pay-rises

In any event, Raleigh and Kirby in particular stand out in respect of both being in their first year of arbitration eligibility after previously making the league minimum. And both deserved their significant raises after how they respectively performed last year.

Raleigh’s $5.6 million is the second-largest deal ever agreed with a catcher in his first year of arbitration eligibility. However, you can make the case that this is still not enough for a player who led all Major League catchers with 34 home runs in 2024, and won the first Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards of his career.

As for Kirby, critics might argue he took a step backwards last year, but even this alludes to just how much he has already done combined with still having more potential to unlock. Consider that he still led all Major League pitchers with a 7.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while also proving his durability by tying the MLB lead with a career-high 33 starts.

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An All-Star in many ways

Staying on the subject of starting pitchers, Gilbert definitely deserved his pay increase in his second year of arbitration eligibility. He enjoyed a career-year in 2024, which included leading the Majors with a 0.887 WHIP and 208.2 innings pitched, earning his first All-Star selection, and finishing sixth in Cy Young voting.

Arozarena was obviously the biggest winner on the day, with a jump from $8.1 million to $11.3 million. He can be a frustrating player to watch at times, but the talent is there and if he can more resemble what we saw in Tampa Bay over a full season in Seattle, the Mariners will benefit considerably.

Thornton was not quite as effective in his second year in Seattle compared to 2023, but he did see an extensive increase in his workload and will be an important part of the bullpen this coming season. As for Saucedo and Speier, both dealt with some injury issues last season and will be looking to become more reliable for the Mariners in 2025.

Even in the immediate positive aftermath of Thursday’s news, the Mariners still have several questions about the roster strength, particularly the infield positions. How confident are you that these challenges will be resolved to a satisfactory standard prior to the beginning of the 2025 season? Let us know in the comments section below.