SEATTLE -- The Mariners tendered contracts for 2017 to 32 players on their Major League roster on Friday, including seven arbitration-eligible players who would have otherwise become free agents.
The seven arbitration-eligibles are newly acquired shortstop Jean Segura, new first baseman Danny Valencia, center fielder Leonys Martin, lefty starter James Paxton, relievers Evan Scribner and Nick Vincent and catcher Jesús Sucre.
The Mariners had nine players already under contract, plus the seven arbitration-eligible players. The other 24 players on the 40-man roster haven't accrued enough MLB service time yet to be eligible for arbitration, which means their contracts can be renewed at something close to the Major League minimum of $535,000 for 2017.
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The Mariners also tendered an offer to outfielder Boog Powell, who is currently on the restricted list as he still has five games remaining on an 80-game suspension incurred last year for a failed drug test. Powell doesn't currently count against the 40-man roster.
The arbitration-eligible players are always the biggest question, and the Mariners chose to keep all their players currently on their 40-man roster, which remains full. The club now must reach contract agreements with those seven players or go into the binding arbitration hearing process in February.
Valencia, acquired from the A's last month, is entering his third and final season of arbitration eligibility and is projected to make about $5.3 million in estimates by MLBTradeRumors.com. Martin, Segura and Scribner are in their second seasons of arbitration, with Segura expected to make about $7.3 million, Martin $6.3 million and Scribner $1.1 million.
Vincent is projected to make about $1.5 million in his first year in the process. The Mariners have two Super Two qualifiers for arbitration in Paxton (projected at $2.7 million) and Sucre ($600,000).