Matt Magill, Seattle Mariners.
This week, we discussed the non-roster infielders, outfielders, and catchers the Seattle Mariners invited to camp. Now it’s time to get into the non-roster pitchers. This list doesn’t necessarily include anyone that will make the opening day roster. However, it does have a lot of intrigue in light of Kevin Mather’s comments regarding Logan Gilbert and some potential bullpen help throughout the season.
Marco Gonzalez, James Paxton, Chris Flexen, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield, and Justin Dunn/Nick Margevicius
Rafael Montero (CL), Kendall Graveman (SU), Anthony Misiewicz (SU), Keynan Middleton (RP), Yohan Ramirez (RP), Brandon Brennan (RP), Erik Swanson (MR).
Not listed below are players on the 40 man roster who could be with the team on Opening Day, such as Andres Munoz and Joey Gerber.
Logan Gilbert – 23 almost 24 years old – Logan Gilbert managed to find himself mentioned in the former Seattle Mariners CEO’s recent public outburst. While he wasn’t the source of any substantial controversy, Kevin Mather did say he expected to see Gilbert in the rotation by the end of April.
The fourteenth overall selection in the 2018 amateur draft has dominated at every stop along the way. In 2019, Gilbert made three stops in the minors and amassed a 10-5 record with a 2.13 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 135 innings. The question is when he will join the rotation, not if.
Moises Gomez – 24 years old – Moises is a native of Venezuela and has played professional baseball since 2014. He has never made it above High-A. Much of that is based on his lack of control. Gomez has over 100 walks in his 239 innings minor league career. In the 2019 Arizona Fall League, he walked nearly a batter-an-inning. He has no chance of making the big-league club.
Darren McCaughan – 24 years old – The Mariners drafted him in the 13th round of the 2017 amateur draft. He ended up in Tacoma in 2018 as he skipped AA. McCaughan is a starting pitcher and his 2019 season at Tacoma was brutal, but he did well at Arkansas. He has pinpoint accuracy, but he’s well behind several of the Mariner’s prospects at this point, and with a loaded rotation, he’s unlikely to make the Mariners out of camp.
Gerson Bautista – 25 years old – Gerson has not fared well in either of his major league stints. The Mariners have control over him through the 2024 season. He’s a triple-digit flame thrower with a nasty slider. While Bautista started in the past, his ticket to the big leagues would be through the bullpen. A healthy Bautista could break camp with the Mariners in the bullpen.
Nick Duron – 25 years old – Nick is a native of California and Oregon, went to college in Vancouver and high school in Tigard, Oregon. A 2015 Boston draft pick, Duran has been in the Mariners system since 2019. He’s never pitched above High-A, but in 2019 had a 2.23 ERA and struck out 51 in 36 1/3 innings. Duron is not likely to break camp with the Mariners.
Taylor Guerrieri – 28 years old – Taylor has had two stints at the big league level, with the Rangers and Blue Jays. Neither stint was noteworthy. He’s a converted starter, and there might be an opportunity in middle-relief, but this appears to be a highly competitive sport.
Brady Lail – 27 years old – Brady has a chance to make the M’s as one of the middle-relievers. He has decent Major League experience, including 2020 with the Seattle Mariners. Another converted starter, Lail has never been stellar in his MLB career. If the Mariners do bring him along, it’s because he profiles as a long reliever.
Ian McKinney – 26 years old – Drafted in the fifth round out of high school by the Red Sox. McKinney has never made it above Double-A. Since the Mariners acquired him in 2018, he’s mostly been a starter. I can’t see him making the M’s out of camp.
Jimmy Yacabonis – 28 years old – Jimmy Yacabonis is one of the most likely non-roster pitchers to break camp with the Mariners. In the Orioles system, he was highly regarded as a potential closer. Owner of a heavy ball, Yacabonis rarely gives up the long ball. He might be a “Four-A” pitcher for life, but that also means he could have stints with the Mariners.
JT Chargois – 30 years old – JT has been in several organizations. With the Dodgers in 2018, he showed that he could be productive. In 2020, he wasn’t picked up by any MLB clubs. Odds are he’s not likely to make the Mariners bullpen, either.
Vinny Nittoli – 30 years old – A career minor leaguer after four years at Xavier, Nittoli is back in the Mariners system. He has a lifetime minor league ERA of 4.50 and has very little chance of making the Mariner’s squad on opening day.
Paul Sewald – 30 years old – Sewald has been an ineffective Big League reliever for the Mets for four seasons. In fact, he’s one of the main reasons that Jacob deGrom’s Cy Young season was marred by only 10 wins in 2018. Sewald lost three of his starts. He should not make the Mariners out of camp.
Drew Steckenrider – 30 years old – Drew’s big-league career started fantastically. In 2017 with the Marlins, he posted a 2.34 ERA in 37 relief appearances. In 2018, his workload increased, but so did his ERA to 3.90. Finally, in 2019, Steckenrider gave up six home runs in just over fourteen innings and suffered a 6.28 ERA as a result. His overall numbers don’t look terrible. Despite that, Steckenrider is a longshot to break camp with the M’s.
Roenis Elias – 32 years old – One of the first Cubans to play for the Mariners is back. Sentimental fans love that he’s back. He began his career as a starter for the Mariners in 2014 and finished the season at 10-12. After a stop in Boston, he returned to the M’s in 2019 as a reliever and fared pretty well. Then he was traded to the Nationals. Now Elias is back for a third trip, and he could fill a long-reliever spot in the bullpen.
Matt Magill – 31 years old – Magill is likely the one non-roster invitee that gets every chance to make the Mariners opening day roster. He closed for the Mariners in 2019 and was effective despite a higher than expected ERA. If Magill doesn’t make it, that wouldn’t be a surprise either. On a roster with dominating talent, he’s never been a dominant pitcher.
The overview here is that everyone is waiting on Gilbert to arrive. He profiles as a top of the rotation pitcher with several plus pitches. Some of the more intriguing hopefuls are Bautista, Magill, and maybe one or two others. There really aren’t many spots available.
The Seattle Mariners will start the season with a six-man rotation. That leaves just eight bullpen spots. Several of those spots are already taken. What does that mean for the rest of the pitchers trying to make the main roster?
The M’s will designate most for assignment. They might remain in the Mariners organization. Those with minor league options get sent down without any concern for losing the depth.
Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle Sports Fan, Writer, Director, Producer at Broken Arts Entertainment. www.brokenartsentertainment.com.