Mariners lock up college-heavy 2026 Draft class

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer's Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- The Mariners have locked up their class from the 2026 MLB Draft.

The club has reached agreements with each of the 18 picks that they anticipated would sign, a source told MLB.com over the weekend, though it has not yet made a formal announcement.

First-rounder Ace Reese is expected to be in Seattle on Tuesday to put pen to paper then go through the standard meet-and-greets with team brass and his future teammates.

The only picks that the Mariners did not reach agreements with were 18th-rounder Dominic Santarelli and 20th-rounder Connor Shouse, though that was expected.

Here’s a full breakdown of the terms for all 18 selections (all picks agreed at slot value unless specified, and Rounds 11-20 do not have slot values):

• Round 1 (No. 24 overall): Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State -- $3.5 million (slot value $3,818,700)
• Round 2 (No. 65): Jake Brown, OF, LSU -- $1,382,600
• Round 3 (No. 101): Nathan Taylor, RHP, Cincinnati -- $778,200
• Round 4 (No. 129): Trevor Lucas, 3B, UNC Wilmington -- $450,000 (slot value $591,700)
• Round 5 (No. 162): Hayden Yost, OF, Florida --- $415,000 (slot value $429,100)
• Round 6 (No. 191): Henry Ford, 3B, Tennessee -- $335,900
• Round 7 (No. 220): Ryan Wynn, SS, Georgia --- $350,000 (slot value $266,100)
• Round 8 (No. 250): Mason Eckelman, C, Ohio State -- $220,900
• Round 9 (No. 280): Drew Whalen, RHP, Auburn -- $250,000 (slot value $202,700)
• Round 10 (No. 310): Eric Jeon, 2B, Stanford -- $220,000 (slot value $192,300)
• Round 11 (No. 340): Wyatt Queen, RHP, Oregon State -- $275,000
• Round 12 (No. 370): Connor Marshburn, RHP, UNC Wilmington -- $200,000
• Round 13 (No. 400): Anthony Treto, RHP, Tarleton State -- $150,000
• Round 14 (No. 430): Chris Diaz, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast -- $275,000
• Round 15 (No. 460): Charlie Sutherland, OF, Minnesota -- $150,000
• Round 16 (No. 490): Chris Torres, LHP, U South Carolina Upstate -- $150,000
• Round 17 (No. 520): Matthew Matthijs, RHP, North Carolina -- $75,000
• Round 19 (No. 580): Michael Petite, OF, Virginia Commonwealth -- $150,000

Of note, the Mariners came in just under their bonus pool of $8,218,200, which only accounts for Rounds 1-10 and which was the sport’s seventh-lowest.

The latter was a byproduct of picking later in each round after their deep postseason run, and that they did not have Competitive Balance Round picks this season.

Their total commitment to Rounds 1-10 picks was $8,202,600 -- as the higher bonuses in Rounds 11, 12, 14 (anything beyond $150,000 after Round 10) are counted towards the bonus pool.

Another factor in the club not using its full allotment was due to some of their higher-round picks agreeing under slot value -- such as Reese and fourth-rounder Trevor Lucas, a third baseman out of UNC Wilmington -- as well as how the Draft unfolded.

• Here are the Mariners' 2026 Draft picks

The Mariners had pocketed roughly $460,000 after Day 1 by agreeing with those players under slot, then they intended to go after at least one high-upside high-schooler in the early rounds of Day 2. However, they could not align on price points as those picks were approaching, so they pivoted to a more down-the-middle approach.

It’s also why the Mariners wound up exclusively with college selections throughout their 20 picks, except for Santarelli, who they knew they likely wouldn’t sign due to his strong commitment to LSU. Again, it’s relatively common for teams to not retain late-round picks, especially high-schoolers who want to go to college and improve their stock.

This was not as robust of a Draft for high-school talent, many in the industry have suggested.

“Once we got done on Day 1 and the first part of Day 2, we looked up and really looked at it and said, 'Wow, we have a really good crop of college guys,’” Mariners vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said.

“You always think college guys are mature and at their max. But there's a lot of projectability in a lot of the guys we took [on Day 2] that I think we think we're getting on the right point of their career arc that's going to be even better than what they're showing right now.”

Each of the 18 selections have already reported to the club’s Spring Training facility in Arizona for a rookie camp.

The lone exception is Reese, so he can go through Tuesday’s formal announcement. He’ll join the rest of the Draft class in the desert immediately after.