With the Rule-5 Draft protection deadline behind us, it’s time for the Major League Baseball offseason calendar to shift to the non-tender deadline, which is coming up on Friday afternoon.
MLBTradeRumors has listed four members of the Seattle Mariners roster as possible non-tender candidates. Those players are Luke Raley, Tayler Saucedo, Trent Thornton and Gregory Santos.
*To be non-tendered means that a player is arbitration-eligible still, but the team is deciding against giving them a contract for the following season, either because of performance or price as relative to performance. Once a player is non-tendered, they become a free agent.*
Let’s take a look at each of the four cases and weigh their cases.
Tayler Saucedo, LHP
Now 32, Saucedo has spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays and Mariners. He was solid in 2023, going 3-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 52 games, and he repeated that in 2024, going 2-0 with a 3.49 in 53 games. However, he struggled in limited action in 2025, going 0-0 with a 7.43 ERA in 10 appearances (13.1 innings).
The Mariners just designated him for assignment in order to trade for Alex Hoppe of the Boston Red Sox, meaning he’s already off the 40-man roster. If Seattle can’t trade him in the next day, his non-tendering is a lock.
He’s already put out a statement about his time in the organization coming to an end, though he could eventually re-sign on a minor league deal.
Luke Raley, OF/1B
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays before the 2024 season, Raley hit 22 homers for Seattle that season. However, he regressed in 2025, playing just 73 games and dealing with a multitude of injuries. He hit only .202 with four homers and 19 RBIs, and he was left off the American League Championship Series roster entirely.
The plus for him is that he has the versatility to play both first and the outfield, though his work at first won’t be needed as much after the team brought back Josh Naylor. He’s also a left-handed hitter, whereas Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez and Victor Robles are all right-handed hitters in the outfield.
The down side? Even as a lefty platoon, he’d be battling with Dominic Canzone for a redundant role, and MLBTR projects him to make $1.8 million. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but every dollar helps the organization.
Trent Thornton, RP
A seven-year veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays and Mariners, Thornton is 14-19 with a 4.38 ERA in his career. He appeared in a career-high 71 games for the M’s in 2024 and is a former fifth-round pick of the Houston Astros out of the University of North Carolina. Seattle acquired him in the 2023 season.
On the surface, Thornton’s numbers were’t particularly strong in this season. In 33 games, he went 2-0 with a 4.68 ERA, striking out 32 batters in 42.1 innings. However, he was hitting his stride before tearing his Achilles in late July, pitching to seven scoreless appearances in his final nine outings.
The positive for him is that he has a track record of success and the Mariners appear to have open spots in the bullpen. The negative? MLBTR projects him to make $2.5 million, and it’s unclear if he’ll be 100 percent by spring training.
The Mariners have other interesting candidates for bullpen spots at league-minimum rates they may want to take a look at.
Gregory Santos, RP
Acquired before the 2024 season, Santos has been a disappointment in Seattle, only pitching in 16 games with the Mariners and registering a 5.02 ERA.
He’s gone from “high-leverage” bullpen piece, to just “interesting arm,” but given that he’s only projected to make $800,000 and that he’s only 26, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the M’s give him one last chance.
