Santos among 3 Mariners non-tendered ahead of deadline

SEATTLE -- The Mariners made a few notable but mostly unsurprising roster subtractions ahead of Friday’s 2 p.m. PT deadline to tender contracts to all players under club control for the 2025 season.

The group of three arbitration-eligible players who were non-tendered trimmed the 40-man roster to 38, with two weeks until the Winter Meetings.

• RHP Gregory Santos

• LHP Tayler Saucedo (previously designated for assignment on Nov. 18)

• RHP Trent Thornton

Santos was perhaps the biggest surprise given that he’s long possessed a high ceiling, but he’s also been Seattle's biggest what-if player over the past two years, having been plagued by injuries that have limited him to just 16 games in that stretch.

Acquired from the White Sox ahead of Spring Training in 2024 -- for right-hander Prelander Berroa (Seattle’s’ No. 15 prospect at the time), outfielder Zach DeLoach (No. 25) and the No. 69 overall pick in the 2024 Draft -- Santos never realized his potential in Seattle, and the Mariners will now move on.

The right-hander had a 5.14 ERA over eight outings last season, with eight walks and zero strikeouts among 36 batters faced, which led to him being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on April 16. Shortly after, he underwent right knee surgery that kept him sidelined until a rehab assignment in September. But with a 5.40 ERA and nine walks over that six-game stint, he was ultimately not considered for a postseason roster spot. Santos earned $750,000 last year and would’ve earned the same or more upon entering his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Thornton was the other notable name that Seattle moved on from, as he continues to recover from a torn left Achilles tendon that he suffered on July 31. That injury, coupled with his $2 million salary from last year that will either remain the same or rise, was likely the determining factor in the club’s decision on him. He had a 4.68 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 14 walks over 33 appearances and was one of their higher-leverage relievers earlier in the season.

It’s possible that the Mariners bring back Thornton -- a beloved personality among their bullpen -- on a Minors contract or a less costly deal, as he’s expected to return at some point in 2026, but not by Opening Day.

Saucedo was DFA’d earlier this week to clear a 40-man spot for reliever Alex Hoppe, who was acquired in a trade with the Red Sox. The Seattle-area native is coming off a year in which he had a 7.43 ERA in 13 1/3 innings, with six walks and 12 strikeouts while pitching in just 10 big league games.

Saucedo was entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, and he was slated to earn at least the $937,500 figure from last year -- a number that he reached for formerly being a key lefty piece to the Mariners’ bullpen, most notably in 2023. However, Saucedo spent most of 2025 with Tacoma.

The next step for their arbitration-eligible players who were tendered contracts is to exchange salary figures, with that deadline coming on Jan. 8. However, agreements can come sooner -- as many did on Friday across the Majors.

Seattle’s group is as follows, along with their salaries from 2025 (which will either stay the same or increase based on their production from last season):

• LF Randy Arozarena (fourth year of arbitration after reaching “Super Two” status with Tampa Bay): $11.3 million

• RHP Logan Gilbert (third year): $7.625 million

• RHP George Kirby (second year): $4.3 million

• LHP Gabe Speier (second year): $845,000

• RHP Bryce Miller (first year): $800,000

• OF/1B Luke Raley (first year): $787,400

• RHP Matt Brash (first year): $777,600

• RHP Jackson Kowar (first year): $763,000

Under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander, the Mariners have long preferred not to go to a hearing -- where each side proposes a salary figure and an arbitration panel picks one side or the other -- though they have done so in recent years with Adam Frazier (2022) and Teoscar Hernández (2023).

The most intriguing candidate is Arozarena, who is coming off a season in which he hit a career-high 27 homers and was named an All-Star. As such, he’s expected to net a notable raise in his final year before reaching free agency. Yet, with the Mariners having more payroll flexibility this offseason than in recent memory, and considering the front office admires Arozarena greatly, he’s expected to be back at whatever figure he and the club reach.