SEATTLE -- The Mariners exclusively tapped into college talent on Day 1 of the MLB Draft on Saturday, which was largely a reflection of what was available among this year's crop and when each of their four picks surfaced.
The club selected outfielder Ace Reese with its first-round pick and quickly agreed to terms at $3.5 million, well under the pick’s $3,818,700 slot value. Then in the fourth round, they took third baseman Trevor Lucas out of UNC Wilmington and agreed at $450,000, also under-slot from $591,700.
2026 MLB DRAFT PRESENTED BY NIPPON EXPRESS
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Coverage
Their two other picks -- outfielder Jake Brown out of LSU in the second round, and right-hander Nathan Taylor out of Cincinnati in the third round -- agreed at slot value.
Financial figures were shared to MLB.com via a source.
Essentially, the Mariners pocketed around $460,000 that they can now reallocate for rounds 5-20 on Day 2, over which slot values will progressively decrease.
The question now turns to how they’ll do so, either towards high-upside high school picks or college players that may be enticed to return to school by NIL money.
“It gives us a little more negotiating power with some of those kids that might go back to college -- to a major SEC school or ACC school -- and say, 'I'll take the money they're giving me and go back for one more year,’” said Scott Hunter, Mariners vice president of amateur scouting.
“So that helps us a little bit. I think there's some really good players that are on that line that may go back because, as we've talked about in the last couple days, that's a real hurdle for us in regards to figuring out signability.”
More on Mariners' 2026 Draft:
Here’s a breakdown of their Day 1 picks, with reaction from Hunter:
Jake Brown, OF
- Round: 2 (No. 65 overall)
- Bats/throws: L/L
- School: LSU
- Signing bonus: $1,382,600 (matches slot value)
- Calling Card: The 6-foot-2, 206-pound slugger hit 16 homers with a 1.046 OPS over 42 games last year, before his season was cut short due to a broken hamate in mid-May. But he was back in action at the MLB Draft Combine last month and was one of the faster runners, leading the Mariners to believe that he could be legitimately in play for center field, having spent much of his college career in the corners.
- Organizational fit: Brown was teammates with Kade Anderson during their run to the 2025 College World Series, and was actually ranked higher than Anderson among Louisiana’s high-school prospects in ‘23 -- as a left-handed pitcher. It wasn’t until after he turned down a 16th-round selection by the Rangers that year and went to college that he transitioned to outfield full-time.
- Quote: “Kade texted me today, just saying, 'You guys are actually pretty smart up there, huh?' Yeah, they were roommates or something. So at the Combine, I texted Kade, 'Is this guy all right?' And he was like, 'You should take him if you want a good human that can play.' So it made me feel a lot more comfortable making the pick.” -- Hunter
Nathan Taylor, RHP
- Round: 3 (No. 101 overall)
- Bats/throws: L/ R
- School: Cincinnati
- Signing bonus: $778,200 (matches slot value)
- Calling Card: The slider is what really stands out, as it grades plus and he throws it more often than his fastball. His fastball usually ranges from 92-94 mph and reaches 97 mph but has lacked life, per Pipeline scouting reports. He ranked second in NCAA Division I with 80 strikeouts on the slider and 115 strikeouts total over 90 innings.
- Organizational fit: He leaves Cincinnati as one of the best pitchers in program history, ranking first in career wins (22) and strikeouts in a single season (115) and third in career strikeouts (276). A lengthier track record should put him on a strong starting trajectory as his pro career gets going.
- Quote: “He could probably use his fastball a little bit more. ... But he has exceptional feel for those secondary pitches that we think can actually make him a more complete pitcher by just changing the way he uses his arsenal.” -- Hunter
Trevor Lucas, 3B
- Round: 4, (No. 129 overall)
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: UNC Wilmington
- Signing bonus: $450,000 (below $591,700 slot value)
- Calling Card: The versatility in the field and swing decisions at the plate are what stand out for the 6-foot, 195-pounder, who exclusively played third base this past season but could give Seattle a more multi-positional option as his pro career gets going. He doesn’t have the big frame of a power-hitting third baseman but did pop 12 homers with a .985 OPS and had some impressive exit velocity readings.
- Organizational fit: Hunter called him “Ben Williamson light,” referencing Seattle’s second-round pick in 2023, who the club drafted for his glove.
- Quote: “Talking to our [player development] group, they believe they can add a little more bat speed and a little more impact just by some of the programs we will put him through. So, once again, those things you have to take chances on certain guys.”