PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Mariners announced on Sunday morning that they have released veteran outfielder Mitch Haniger, who was in his second stint with Seattle and entering the final year of a three-year, $43.5 million contract he signed with the Giants prior to the 2023 season.
Haniger, who posted an .817 OPS with 107 home runs for the Mariners from 2017-22, is owed $15.5 million for this season. He hadn¡¯t appeared in a Cactus League game since March 8 due to left shoulder soreness.
¡°Mitch has been a significant part of Mariners history and will be missed,¡± Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. ¡°The day he arrived for his first Spring Training back in 2017, he established himself as one of the most focused, prepared, and hardest working players I¡¯ve ever been around. We all appreciate the many ways he¡¯s made us all better, on the field and off.¡±
Haniger also released a statement, in which he reflected on his six seasons with Seattle.
¡°Putting on a Mariners uniform and playing at T-Mobile Park is something I¡¯ll cherish forever,¡± Haniger said. ¡°To our fans, my teammates, and everyone a part of this organization, thank you for embracing my family and me. We have so many great memories to look back on.¡±
Haniger holds a significant place in Mariners history. His finest campaign came in 2018, when he hit 26 home runs with an .859 OPS and 6.5 bWAR and earned an All-Star selection. In 2021, he belted a career-high 39 homers and drove in 100 for Seattle, and in ¡¯22, he helped the franchise reach the postseason for the first time in 21 years.
Haniger¡¯s 60 home runs at T-Mobile Park rank 5th-most in the ballpark¡¯s history. No player in Mariners history has more than Haniger¡¯s eight walk-off hits for the club.
¡°It¡¯s always tough to lose somebody who has a lot of history with the organization,¡± Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. ¡°He¡¯s someone who¡¯s really given a lot to the organization. He¡¯s given a lot of himself, and it¡¯s hard to see him leave.
¡°I personally thank him for what he¡¯s given this organization -- he¡¯s given this organization a lot of leadership over the years and there¡¯s a lot of guys in that clubhouse who have benefited from Hanny and what he¡¯s brought to the team over the course of a lot of years.¡±
Seattle originally acquired Haniger, along with Jean Segura and Zac Curtis, in a trade that sent Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker to the D-backs in 2016. Following five seasons with the Mariners, he signed with the Giants prior to the 2023 campaign, and Seattle re-acquired him in a deal that sent Robbie Ray to San Francisco.
Last season, Haniger hit .208/.286/.334 with 12 home runs in 121 games for the Mariners.
Although injuries have plagued him for much of his career, he made an indelible mark in Seattle.
¡°He was a tremendous teammate,¡± said shortstop J.P. Crawford, who joined the Mariners in 2019. ¡°He cares a lot about the guys in here and what we do on and off the field. He was kind of like that big brother to me ever since I came in and took me under his wing.
¡°He means a lot, for sure [to the history of the organization]. He left everything on the table. He was an All-Star and he was on the team when we broke the playoff drought. That should say enough in and of itself.¡±