Checking In: How former Mariners are doing with new teams

The Seattle Mariners’ roster entering the 2025 season didn’t look all that different from the one that ended the 2024 campaign, but there are still a number of recent former M’s who have moved on and are worth checking in on.

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There have been a couple of players who played for the M’s in the past few seasons who have won MLB Player of the Week honors already this year. There are also others who have scuffled in April. And in fact, those two lists aren’t even mutually exclusive.

Here’s a look at how some recent former Mariners are doing in the big leagues so far in 2025.

Checking in on former M’s

• Ty France, 1B, Minnesota Twins

This one might hurt for Mariners fans.

France, who was designated for assignment by the M’s during the 2024 season and spent the rest of the year with the Cincinnati Reds, signed a one-year contract this offseason with the Minnesota Twins and is now the reigning American League Player of the Week.

Not only that, but he delivered a walk-off single to lift the Twins over the Mets 4-3 on Wednesday.

WALK OFF WINNERS! pic.twitter.com/ibniW4pqH2

— Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 16, 2025

The 30-year-old France got hot late last week, registering two three-hit games and another two-hit game from April 10-13 to raise his batting average from .205 to .298. The Mariners’ all-time leader in being hit by pitches is just 1 for 11 since Monday, however, and in 19 games on the year is hitting .265 with two home runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs, a .324 on-base percentage and .721 OPS.

• Justin Turner, 1B, Chicago Cubs

A key trade deadline pickup from Toronto in 2024, the 40-year-old Turner ended up going to the Cubs rather than returning to Seattle – and also had some pointed comments ahead of the season.

How are things going in the Windy City for him? Could be better.

In 12 games, Turner is just 5 for 32 (.156) with five singles. He has driven in four runs and walked six times to eight strikeouts, however.

• Jonatan Clase, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

A switch-hitting rookie traded to Toronto for bullpen help before the deadline last year, the 22-year-old Clase has appeared in just seven games for the Blue Jays since the deal – all in 2024. The speedster is at least hitting for Triple-A Buffalo with a .378/.511/.432 slash line (.943 OPS) with six stolen bases in 13 games this season.

• Yimi García, P, Toronto Blue Jays

We wrap up the three-part revisiting of last year’s swaps with Toronto with a player who went to Seattle, only to hop back across the border this offseason.

The 34-year-old García was a standout for the Blue Jays last year but a dud after joining the Mariners in the same deal involving Clase, dealing with arm trouble and making just 10 mostly disappointing appearances out of the Seattle bullpen.

Well, García has looked just fine this year. He’s thrown 9 1/3 scoreless innings in nine outings for Toronto for three holds and a save. He’s struck out 14, walked three, and allowed just four hits for a 0.75 WHIP.

• Josh Rojas, IF, Chicago White Sox

The Mariners surprisingly got great defense out of Rojas at the hot corner in 2024, but his bat cooled down after a strong start as he finished with a .225 average and .640 OPS in 143 games.

Seattle decided not to tender the 30-year-old veteran a contract for 2025, and he signed with the White Sox in January. Unfortunately for Rojas, he suffered a right toe fracture in spring training and has not appeared in a game for Chicago.

• Luis Urías, IF, Athletics

Initially acquired to be Seattle’s third baseman in 2024, Urías didn’t last long in that spot and ended up playing just 41 games with the Mariners, instead spending most of last season with Triple-A Tacoma.

He’s still playing in a Triple-A stadium this year, except that’s because he’s with the Athletics in their temporary home in Sacramento. Urías hasn’t been playing much, but he’s done OK in limited plate appearances. In eight games, he’s 4 for 13 (.308) with one home run – which came against the Mariners, of course.

• José Caballero, UT, Tampa Bay Rays

We’re now taking it back another year to players the Mariners moved on from after the 2023 season.

Caballero, who was traded to Tampa Bay straight up for Luke Raley, hit .227 with 44 stolen bases in 2024 with the Rays. The professional nuisance is off to a good start this year, slashing .333/.455/.556 for a 1.011 OPS in 12 games with a double, triple, a homer and five steals.

Caballero is also showing his versatility, having played at third base (seven games), right field (six games), shortstop (three games) and left field (one game) so far.

• Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Before France won the AL Player of the Week award, “Geno” won the NL version thanks to a torrid start where he hit four home runs in the first three games, and then tacked on another in the fifth game.

It sure looked like Suárez was primed to build on a 30-homer, 101-RBI campaign in 2024 for Arizona, but he’s had just four hits in his last 12 games and currently owns a .153/.275/.441 slash (.716 OPS). He’s always been streaky, though, so it’s likely he’ll heat up once again sooner or later.

• Jarred Kelenic, OF, Atlanta Braves

The 2018 first-round MLB Draft pick is still trying to find his footing in the big leagues. Now 25, Kelenic is slashing .154/.250/.256 (.506 OPS) with one home run and one double in 16 games for a struggling Braves team that is off to a 5-13 start.

Kelenic, who was shipped to Atlanta from the M’s in a December 2023 trade, slashed .231/.286/.393 (.679 OPS) with 15 homers in 131 games last year.

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