The M's have some good players that won't ultimately be on the Opening Day roster.
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Uncomfortable roster decisions are looming for the Seattle Mariners just about one month from now.
In a way, it's a good problem to have. Too many good players. Every team in the league would sign up for that.
On the other hand, it's tough, because valuable players will either be cut, DFA'd or put in Triple-A when they don't really deserve it.
Manager Dan Wilson talked about the situation on Sunday before the Mariners beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-8 at Goodyear Ballpark.
Those decisions are down the line here a little bit, and I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but at the same time, that's the mark of a good team, is when you have some of those difficult decisions and those tough ones at the end of spring training, and we're going to have some. It's unavoidable, I think every year you have those tough decisions. And it's really early to tell what those will look like, but I think right now, the guys doing what they got to do to get prepared, and then we'll start to assess as we roll.
Let's take a look at the situations facing two players in particular right now.
Miles Mastrobuoni, UTIL
Now 30 years old, Mastrobuoni is a four-year veteran of the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Mariners. He hit .250 for Seattle in 76 games a season ago, hitting a homer and bringing in 12 runs. His value stems from doing "all the little things" well.
He makes contact, he can bunt, he runs well, he plays all over the field.
The situation? He's out of options and he's left-handed. The Mariners already have left-handed hitting infielders in Josh Naylor, Brendan Donovan, Cole Young and J.P. Crawford.
The bench infielder spot likely has to go to someone who can hit right-handed like Leo Rivas or Ryan Bliss. Down the line, prospects Colt Emerson and Michael Arroyo will challenge for roster spots as well.
A possible solution? Could the Mariners bring Mastrobuoni north for Opening Day while keeping Leo Rivas or Dominic Canzone in the minors for a short period of time? Yes, the M's would be left-handed dominant, but if other teams set their rosters already and play out a week or so of the season like that, Mastrobuoni could be easier to sneak through waivers and get to Triple-A.
He's 3-for-4 this spring with a grand slam.
Casey Legumina, RP
Early in camp, it feels like seven of the eight relief spots are taken with Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Jose Ferrer, Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and Carlos Vargas. That's six, and Cooper Criswell has an inside track at No. 7.
The eighth spot in the bullpen could go to Legumina, who went 4-6 with a 5.62 ERA for Seattle a season ago. However, he's out of options too. The Mariners could give him the Opening Day spot, but he'd have a tenuous grip on it because of his roster status.
If not, the M's could try to stash him in Triple-A, but he'd be tough to sneak through waivers also. While he frustrated at times in 2025, he generally throws strikes and works with mid-90s velocity. That would be tough to lose because of a roster crunch.
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