Seattle Mariners: Down to the last 3 spots – Final roster battles
Ed Stein
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With five days remaining until 2021 Opening Day, the Seattle Mariners still have some roster cuts to make.
Seattle Mariners opening day is April 1 against San Francisco. Going into the final weekend of spring training, the M’s have 31 players remaining on the active roster plus a few non-roster players competing for 26 roster spots.
Realistically, 22 spots, probably 23, are locked. Another two or three players will start 2021 on the injured list. That leaves five rostered players and four non-roster players for three spots.
2021 Seattle Mariners (so far)
Locks
It’s pretty obvious who the locks are. Just in case, here is a refresher
Catcher: Tom Murphy, Luis Torrens.
Infield: Evan White, Jose Marmolejos, Dylan Moore, J.P. Crawford, Kyle Seager, Ty France.
Outfield: Kyle Lewis, Mitch Haniger.
Utility: Sam Haggerty.
Starting pitchers: Marco Gonzales, James Paxton, Justus Sheffield, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Flexen.
Relief pitchers: Rafael Montero, Kendall Graveman, Keynan Middleton, Erik Swanson, Anthony Misiewicz, Casey Sadler.
Semi-lock
Reliever Will Vest hasn’t looked very good this spring (6.52 ERA in 9.1 innings). Because Seattle selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, the Mariners must keep the young righty or option him back to Detroit.
Injured list
Second baseman Shed Long Jr., and closer Ken Giles will join Andres Munoz on the 60-day IL. Reliever Domingo Tapia is on the way back from an oblique injury suffered a few weeks ago. He’s only thrown two innings this spring, so it’s unlikely Tapia will be ready for game action by the opener.
Already gone
The Mariners already cut a few of the players expected to compete for roster spots. In the past few days, pitchers Ljay Newsome, Aaron Fletcher, and Yohan Ramirez, as well as outfielder Braden Bishop were optioned to the team’s alternate training site. They also reassigned prized prospect Jarred Kelenic to minor league camp.
Roster battles
LF – Jake Fraley vs. Taylor Trammell
This is a battle between the fading potential of Jake Fraley and MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect Taylor Trammell. Either that or a race to see who babysits left field until Kelenic arrives. Trammell played better this spring, and he brings a dimension of speed the Seattle Mariners need at the top of the order. Fraley more than likely gets traded by mid-season.
Sixth Starter – Justin Dunn vs. Nick Margevicius
The big edge goes to Justin Dunn. Nick Margevicius is left-handed, and the Seattle Mariners already have four lefties in the rotation. Then again, Margevicius pitched better than Dunn this spring. Since the sixth starter isn’t needed until April 7, neither could be on the opening day roster.
Bullpen – Taylor Guerrieri, JT Chargois, Ian McKinney, Drew Steckenrider, Brady Lail, and Joey Gerber for one spot.
This one is tough for several reasons. First manager Scott Servais might keep the loser of the Dunn-Margevicius battle for his final relief spot. Moreover, the only left among the bullpen locks is Misiewicz. That gives Margevicius an edge on earning a roster spot if he isn’t the sixth starter.
Of the group, McKinney (3 IP, 3.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP) is the only lefty. His problem this spring, as it has through the minors, is control. Guerrieri hasn’t given up an earned run in four appearances. The rest of them, at best, have been average. Even so, Steckenrider and Chargois own the best stuff and have the most experience.
Conclusion
The final three spots go to Trammell, Margevicious, and either Steckenrider or Chargois. Seattle won’t need Dunn for a week, so he’ll stick around spring training for a little while longer. Barring injury, the winner of the last bullpen spot, Haggerty, Marmolejos, and Trammell, are most in danger of losing their spots when Dunn and Kelenic come up.
Related Story: Seattle Mariners 2021 Season – Over/Under
Who do you think wins the final Seattle Mariners roster spots? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.