Notebook: No news is no news for the Mariners as two deadlines pass
Nov 20, 2017, 5:43 PM | Updated: 6:01 pm
The deadline for teams to finalize 40-man rosters ahead of the Rule 5 Draft has come and gone with the Mariners’ roster remaining at 36. The Mariners made no additions, and while they will have a number of players exposed in the draft, it is unlikely they will be taken.
The Mariners are leaving five players exposed that are ranked in the top 30 by MLB Pipeline – Luis Liberato, Anthony Jimenez, Greifer Andrade, Ian Miller and Chuck Taylor – but they are all outfielders. With the Rule 5 Draft rules requiring teams to keep selected players on their 25-man roster for the entire season, it seems unlikely these players will be taken.
The Rule 5 Draft will take place Dec. 14, the final day of the Winter Meetings.
Notes
• A number of prospects the Mariners have traded in the past year were added to 40-man rosters, including Tyler O’Neill (St. Louis), Zack Littell (Minnesota) and Ryan Yarbrough (Tampa).
• The deadline that has been imposed by the Players Association for an agreement to be reached between MLB and the Japanese NPB for a new posting agreement has been extended 24 hours. The new deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m.
• Spring training schedules have been released and there are big changes for the Mariners. Of the 32 games the Mariners will play this year, 12 of them will be at night. The Mariners believe that a spring schedule that better resembles the regular season schedule can benefit them. Dr. Lorena Martin explains how in this From the Corner of Edgar and Dave MLBblog.com post. Pitchers and catchers report for physicals in Arizona on Feb. 14 with their first workout to be held Feb. 15. Position players report Feb. 19 with the first full squad Feb. 20. The Mariners will not have much time to learn how to run the bases as the first game is Feb. 23.
