The Mariners tendered contracts to 31 players, but it was the decision to non-tender Gregory Santos which caused most headlines.
Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager Justin Hollander announced on Friday that the front office had tendered 2026 contracts to 31 players on their Major League roster. What really stood out though were the three players the M’s non-tendered ahead of the 2:00 p.m. PT deadline, particularly Gregory Santos.
There was plenty of optimism when the Mariners traded for Santos back in February last year, with him coming off a breakout 2023 campaign with the Chicago White Sox. He had a 3.39 ERA, 2.65 FIP and 1.296 WHIP in 66.1 combined innings, while also recording a solid 22.8 percent strikeout and a tremendous 5.9 percent walk rate out of the bullpen.
Gregory Santos never had chance to succeed with Mariners
The righty never got close to repeating this success in Seattle however, as he dealt with injuries throughout much of his two seasons with the Mariners. In all he only pitched a combined 14.1 innings in the big league for the M’s, in the process producing a -0.4 bWAR, 5.02 ERA, 4.41 IP and 1.674 WHIP.
Certainly the Mariners could have used the fully healthy and 2023 version of Santos this past season, as the bullpen lacked at least one more quality reliever especially in the playoffs. In our humble opinion we would have given him another chance next season, if nothing else due to the combination of him only being 26 and projected to make the league minimum of $780k.
Goodbye to two players popular with teammates and fans
Joining Santos in free agency are fellow relievers Tayler Saucedo and Trent Thornton. This fate was predicted for Saucedo after he was designated for assignment on Tuesday, while Thornton was projected to make around $2.5 million next season.
Similar to Santos, Thornton dealt with his own injury issues this past season, as he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on July 31 and will still be sidelined at the beginning of the 2026 campaign. Assuming he doesn’t return to Seattle on a minor league deal, it’s a genuine shame to see him leave after providing stability out of the bullpen these past three years, with a 3.65 ERA and 1.173 WHIP in 140.2 combined innings over 127 appearances.
What next for the M’s bullpen?
It will be interesting to see what moves the Mariners make with the bullpen moving forward, because it needed to improve even before Santos, Saucedo and Thornton were non-tendered. From our perspective Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier and Carlos Vargas are the only certainties, with us also include Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans pending their involvement as starters.
Seven Mariners players were already under contract for 2026 prior to Friday’s contract tenders. These included Muñoz, Julio RodrÃguez, Luis Castillo, Cal Raleigh, J.P. Crawford, VÃctor Robles and the recently signed Josh Naylor.
List of Mariners tendered deals for 2026 season
With all of these moves, the Mariners’ 40-man roster is at 38 players. The list of 31 players tendered contracts for the 2026 season are as follows:
Pitchers (20): Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash, Blas Castaño, Jhonathan DÃaz, Logan Evans, Logan Gilbert, Domingo Gonzalez, Emerson Hancock, Alex Hoppe, George Kirby, Jackson Kowar, Casey Legumina, Ryan Loutos, Bryce Miller, Robinson Ortiz, Gabe Speier, Troy Taylor, Carlos Vargas, Cole Wilcox, Bryan Woo
Infielders (4): Ryan Bliss, Leo Rivas, Ben Williamson, Cole Young
Outfielders (6): Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone, Miles Mastrobuoni (INF/OF), Luke Raley (INF/OF), Samad Taylor (INF/OF), Rhylan Thomas
Catcher (1): Harry Ford
- A rested and focused Mariners team blasts the Astros in a 9-6.
- FIFA announces Match Officials for World Cup 2026
- Despite losing   Leg One 2-0 to Tigres UANL, the Sounders see positives for Leg Two.
- Mariners facing early adversity and test of their mental fortitude
- Mariners dealing with more issues as Victor Robles heads to the IL
Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography
Do you agree with the decision to non-tender Santos, or do you think the Mariners should have given him another chance next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
