3 Mariners contract extension candidates heading into 2025 – SoDo Mojo

Looking back, 2024 was not everyone bad for the Seattle Mariners. Sure, they blew a 10-game division lead in record time, ended up missing the postseason by literally one game, and allowed the Houston Astros to win the AL West for the seventh time in eight years, but surely there’s a silver lining, right?

The upside of such a rollercoaster season was that the few players who were consistent stood out even more. With only a few bigger names signed to long-term deals, who are some other candidates the Mariners could sign to a contract extension this offseason?

3 Mariners contract extension candidates heading into 2025

SP Bryce Miller

We’ve only seen two seasons of Bryce Miller, but the jump he made from 2023 to 2024 was significant. After a satisfactory 4.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP during his rookie campaign, his sophomore season saw him post a 2.94 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 180.1 innings, making him the team’s most valuable pitcher by rWAR (3.7), comfortably ahead of second place Logan Gilbert.

In fact, Gilbert had excellent comments about his teammate’s incredible year-over-year improvements.

Miller still has a few years of team control and isn’t expected to hit free agency until 2030, but his potential is clearly huge. The front office may not be in a rush, but a league-leading rotation with most of the arms secured and happy could be attractive to future free agents who decide to sign with Seattle.

C Cal Raleigh

Despite the distinguished group of starting pitchers, Cal Raleigh still emerged as the team’s most valuable member by rWAR, posting a career-high 4.6, largely boosted by his above-average offensive performance from a traditionally weak position .

Defensively, he was outstanding, racking up 17 defensive runs, placing in the 98th percentile for runs above average and earning a Gold Glove nod.

Raleigh will be a free agent in 2028 and is about to turn 28, meaning he will be just over 30 when his team control expires. If the Mariners are serious about acquiring more offense this winter, why not avoid future headaches by holding on to a power hitter already on the team?

SP Logan Gilbert

Even though the 2024 AL Cy Young Award has Tarik Skubal’s name written all over it, it would be surprising if Gilbert doesn’t at least get a few votes for the first time in his career.

Despite leading all of MLB in innings pitched, he still managed to post a 3.23 ERA and lead MLB in WHIP (0.89) even with a whopping 208 2/3 inning workload. His 9.5 K/9 was also a personal best for any season with more than 120 innings.

Discussions on its extension have not officially begun, but there is no room for concern; there are likely reasons (that don’t include him being traded) for this. That may not happen this winter, but if the Mariners don’t make a concerted effort to retain one of their top talents, the front office should be scrutinized more closely to see if they’re undercover Astros working undercover.