SEATTLE -- The bags were packed as Mariners players prepared to scatter to all parts of the country to begin their offseasons on Sunday. But for Justin Dunn, this was more than getaway day. This was a final chance to reinforce his status as a strong rotation candidate next spring.

Dunn, the Mariners’ No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, put his best foot forward in his final audition of the season in Seattle’s 3-1 win over Oakland. The 24-year-old right-hander threw two hitless frames with a walk and three strikeouts while displaying a sharp slider to counter his 92-93 mph fastball.

“Part of the reason I wanted to get up here was just to get my feet wet and go into the offseason knowing I belong here,” Dunn said. “I feel like I did that the last two times out and I can hang my hat on that and go into the offseason and go to work.”

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Since a nervous debut against the Reds on Sept. 12, when Dunn walked five of the seven batters faced, he has displayed the type of stuff that has the Mariners intrigued. While limiting him to two innings in each outing in order to not overextend him after a strong season at Double-A Arkansas, the Mariners saw Dunn throw three straight scoreless outings while allowing only two hits in six frames. He finished with a 2.70 ERA in four abbreviated starts.

“I feel like I got better every time out,” Dunn said. “A lot of that is due to the nerves going away and everything feeling more normal. I’m excited to see where things go from here.”

While the A’s used the final game to largely rest their regulars in preparation for Wednesday’s American League Wild Card Game against the Rays in Oakland, the Mariners continued pointing toward next season and beyond as they wrapped up a 68-94 campaign.

“It is a marathon, and I think everybody feels it today,” manager Scott Servais said. “But certainly some positive things to take out of the season as we continue to move forward with our plan here. We found out a lot about a lot of players. That was the goal, and I think we did accomplish that.”

Even in a frustrating rebuilding season, last impressions can be helpful. Among the other final-day highlights:

• Third baseman Kyle Seager finished off a strong second half with a two-run homer. Despite missing the first two months with a hand injury and then getting off to a slow start, Seager finished the season with 23 homers and 63 RBIs in 106 games. He is one RBI shy of tying Alvin Davis for fourth on the all-time Mariners career list.

• Rookie Kyle Lewis capped an intriguing September as he went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. After homering in six of his first 10 games, Lewis was 1-for-18 with 10 strikeouts in his last five, so finishing on a positive was a definite plus for the promising right fielder as he prepares to make a bid for a starting spot next spring.

• Shortstop J.P. Crawford reminded again of how much he’s helped upgrade the defense with a leaping catch to rob Robbie Grossman on a line drive in the fifth inning.

• First baseman Austin Nola, whose discovery as a Minor League free agent proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the season, capped his year with a 2-for-3 day with a double, walk and two runs scored.

Seager stands as one of the few veteran holdovers on a team that transitioned both last offseason and again during the year, as only 13 of the 30 players who traveled to Japan to open the season in March are still on the roster.

“There are a lot of new guys, for sure,” Seager said. “A lot of excitement. You get a lot of new guys and there’s a lot of hunger. There are guys willing to work, who are putting in the time, and we had a lot of guys get better this year, which is a big step.”