Mariners Notebook: Seattle adds 4 prospects to 40-man roster

With Tuesday the deadline for teams to add eligible players to their 40-man rosters ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, the Mariners have added four prospects to their 40-man roster.

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New to the 40-man roster are RHP Prelander Berroa, RHP Isaiah Campbell, OF Jonatan Clase and OF Cade Marlowe. In the Mariners’ eyes, these four were at most risk to be selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place Dec. 7 at the Winter Meetings in San Diego.

Berroa, 22, ranked the Mariners 13th-best prospect by Baseball America has opened eyes since arriving with the organization in exchange for infielder Donovan Walton in a May 11 trade with the San Francisco Giants. Originally signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2017, Berroa was named Northwest League Pitcher of the Year posting a 2.06 ERA (15 earned runs in 65.2 innings) in 17 starts combined between Eugene (Giants) and Everett. He was promoted to Double-A Arkansas in late June where he went on to strike out 13.6 batters per 9 innings. His 134 strikeouts in 2022 were the most for any Mariners pitcher in the farm system and tied for the 10th-most in all the minor leagues.

Berroa features a high-90s fastball that can touch 100 and a nasty slider. He clearly has the ability to miss bats but command has been an issue with his walk rate at 5.6 batters per nine innings in 2022. Better command and further development of his changeup will determine if he is able to remain a starter or will need to transition to the pen.

Campbell, 25, selected in the second round of the 2019 draft is no longer ranked in the Mariners top 30 by Baseball America, but did make a successful transition to the pen in 2022. He went 1-4 with 11 saves and a 1.57 ERA (eight earned runs in 46 innings) in 33 games which included four starts. In 14 relief appearances with Double-A Arkansas he walked just two batters while striking out 24.

Injuries and the lost COVID season have slowed his development, but the bullpen might turn out to be a great fit after paring down to an upper-90s velocity fastball and slider combination and certainly his best path to the big leagues. Campbell received the 2022 Dominate the Zone Pitcher Award for the organization and is the 2021 winner of the Dan Wilson Community Service Award.

Jonatan Clase, 20, a speedy outfielder, stole 55 bases in 2022 while hitting 13 home runs in 499 plate appearances. The Mariners 15th-ranked prospect according to BA has turned himself into a switch-hitter while with the Mariners organization. He has not played above High-A.

Cade Marlowe, 25, has already had a taste of big league life as a member of the Mariners’ taxi squad during the postseason. Marlowe hit .287/.377/.487 (.864 OPS) in 133 games (120 at Double-A) in 2022 and won the Edgar Martinez Dominate the Zone Award. He recorded 42 stolen bases in 133 games and played all 3 outfield positions.

In addition to the four prospects added to the 40-man roster, Tom Murphy has been returned from the 60-day IL. With the moves, the 40-man roster is full.

More Notes:

• The Hot Stove is far from blazing but there was a little bit of a crackle and possibly a pop as another deadline was at hand Tuesday. Players who were extended qualifying offers had to let their clubs know if they would accept or decline. Only two, Martín Pérez (Texas) and Joc Pederson (Giants) accepted. Those who declined the offers will net their original clubs draft pick compensation should they sign elsewhere. The Mariners could have interest in such players but selecting one of these players wouldn’t be as painful as they will pick up a draft pick at the end of the first round thanks to Julio Rodríguez winning Rookie of the Year.

• No draft pick award for winning Manager of the Year, which went to Guardians skipper Terry Francona. Scott Servais finished third in the voting after being the runner up in 2021.

• Awards week continues with the Cy Young Awards announced Wednesday and MVPs on Thursday.

• Friday is MLB’s non-tender deadline, the day clubs must offer arbitration-eligible players contracts for the 2023 season. Players who are non-tendered become free agents.

The Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players with MLB Trade Rumors’ estimates:

• Tom Murphy, Arbitration 3, $1.9 million
• Diego Castillo, Arbitration 2, $2.9 million
• Paul Sewald, Arbitration 2, $3.million
• Dylan Moore, Arbitration 2, $2.0 million
• Erik Swanson, Arbitration 1, $1.4 million
• Luis Torrens, Arbitration 1, $1.2 million
• Ty France, Arbitration 1, $4.7 million
• Abraham Toro, Arbitration 1, $1.4 million
• Kyle Lewis, Arbitration 1, $1.2 million

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