Mariners’ Strategic Standoff: ESPN Insider Reveals Why Seattle’s Front Office Remains Committed to Veteran, Signaling a Potential Roster Redemption and a Calculated Gamble on Experience
With Opening Day just six days away, the Seattle Mariners are nearing a deadline to make decisions on their Opening Day roster.
While this is just speculative, it feels that Rowdy Tellez will make the roster, and there’s strong reason to believe that utility player Miles Mastrobuoni will as well.
Given that he hasn’t played since March 8, and also isn’t in the lineup for either split-squad game on Friday, it seems like Mitch Haniger will begin the year on the injured list with a shoulder problem.
While disappointing for Haniger, this actually makes things easier for the M’s, who aren’t forced to designate him for assignment at $15.5 million, or aren’t forced to cut ties with Tellez or Mastrobuoni, two players who have had solid spring training’s.
Given how much money Haniger is owed, it’s felt all along like DFA’ing Haniger was a longshot, even though he struggled mightily in 2024. He hit just .208 with 12 homers and 44 RBI. Buster Olney of ESPN joined the most recent episode of the “Refuse to Lose” podcast and discussed why team’s are hesitant to move on from players like Haniger, especially early.
…and I think that’s just because teams, especially before you get into the trade seasons of June and July, they just want to keep as many alternatives in play as possible. So, you know, if they can hide a veteran player on the injured list, they’ll do that. If they have a player who can be sent to the minor league, they will do that sometimes. And so it doesn’t surprise me that the Mariners would hang on to Mitch Haniger as a possibility. As you mentioned, he’s a very respected player. He has had productive seasons. He’s had a career that’s been ravaged by injuries. And so they’re going to want to give him as many chances as possible to show that he might be worth the return. Especially at a time when the Mariners haven’t spent money. Right? You’re talking about someone who actually takes up a fairly sizable portion of their payroll. They’re just not going to dump that player without seeing him in regular season games, would be my instincts.
Haniger, 34, is headed into the ninth full season of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mariners and San Francisco Giants. A career .250 hitter, he was an All-Star for the M’s in 2018 and hit 39 homers back in 2021.
