PEORIA, Ariz. -- With one day left in Spring Training for the Mariners, a couple of significant roster decisions remain, though Sunday brought more clarity when a veteran outfielder beloved in the Pacific Northwest for his meritorious contributions to the franchise was released.
When the Mariners announced that they had released Mitch Haniger, who is owed $15.5 million in the final year of the three-year, $43.5 million contract he signed with the Giants in 2022, it ended Haniger¡¯s second stint with the club after he produced an .807 OPS with 107 home runs for Seattle from 2017-22.
In his return to the Mariners last year, Haniger struggled to a .620 OPS in 121 games before batting .167 in seven Cactus League games this spring. He hadn¡¯t played since March 8 due to a left shoulder injury.
Haniger¡¯s release also increased the likelihood that first baseman/designated hitter Rowdy Tellez, who continued to swing the bat well in Sunday¡¯s 10-6 Mariners win over the Brewers at the Peoria Sports Complex, will make the Opening Day roster.
Following a 35-homer campaign in 2022, Tellez regressed over the next two seasons, posting a .680 OPS with 26 homers for the Brewers and Pirates from 2023-24. But he has made quite an impression in the spring of ¡¯25.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Tellez went 3-for-4 with a single and two doubles to punctuate with an exclamation point his campaign to break camp with the Mariners as they prepare to begin the season on Thursday at T-Mobile Park. The 30-year-old slugger has an .894 OPS with four doubles and three homers in Cactus League play after signing a Minor League contract with Seattle in February.
¡°Rowdy¡¯s had a really nice camp,¡± manager Dan Wilson said after Sunday¡¯s game. ¡°He¡¯s swung the bat well and has done a very good job over there at first base -- you can tell he¡¯s experienced over there and handles the bag nicely. He¡¯s had a really good camp and what he¡¯s brought to the team has been big.¡±
Has it been big enough? That question will be answered imminently, especially since Sunday was the deadline for the club to decide whether or not Tellez would get a spot on the active roster going into the regular season.
If the decision is to not take him north to open the season in the Majors, Tellez could opt out of his contract and become a free agent. If the decision is to have him on the active MLB roster, he would earn $1.5 million this year.
Prior to Sunday¡¯s game, Wilson didn¡¯t tip his hand as to what Tellez¡¯s immediate future might hold.
¡°We¡¯re down to just a couple of decisions,¡± Wilson said. ¡°And, likely, those will be made here in the next day or two.¡±
The decision to release Haniger means the Mariners have one fewer player in the mix for the DH spot, one that Tellez could fill along with time at first base. While he hasn¡¯t graded out as a particularly good defender there, he did make a nice diving catch on the bag at first base that turned into a double play in the eighth inning on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Mariners also re-assigned catcher Harry Ford -- the organization¡¯s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline and the No. 64 prospect overall -- to Minor League camp. The move was expected, though it occurred perhaps later than expected, as the club had Ford continue to build experience catching Seattle¡¯s Major League pitchers after reassigning other top prospects.
The 12th overall selection of the 2021 Draft, Ford performed well in his third big league camp, posting a .421/.539/.632 slash line with a double and a home run. At Double-A Arkansas last year, he hit .249/.377/.367 with seven homers in 523 plate appearances.
On the penultimate day of camp, Wilson expressed the conflicted feelings that come with this time of year.
¡°It¡¯s kind of a bittersweet time for camp,¡± Wilson said. ¡°Because there are some really fun stories you get to tell and there are some difficult ones -- really difficult ones. So that¡¯s where we are at this time of camp and that¡¯s what¡¯s left to be done here the last couple of days.¡±
Tellez hopes his story will be one of the fun ones that the Mariners will be telling, especially if he not only makes the club out of Spring Training, but also makes an impact in the regular season.