Salary projections for Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players

With their 2026 season now behind them, the Seattle Mariners’ focus has shifted to the offseason as they look for a turnaround next year.

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Following a disappointing 76-86 campaign that began with aspirations of World Series contention, the M’s appear to have some work to do. Some of that work will include submitting salary figures for their arbitration-eligible players.

The Mariners have 15 players eligible for arbitration, per MLB Trade Rumors. Only the Tampa Bay Rays (17), Boston Red Sox (17) and Milwaukee Brewers (16) have more.

Not all of Seattle’s arbitration-eligible players will be offered contracts. Some may be non-tendered, and those who are non-tendered could still comeback on free-agent deals, whether those are major-league contracts or minor-league contracts.

Below are the salary projections for the Mariners’ arbitration eligible players from MLB Trade Rumors and three observations from those projections. Each player’s service time, which also comes courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors, is listed in parathesis next to his name.

Salary projections

Logan Gilbert (5.144): $15.4 million
Brendan Donovan (5.000): $6.1 million
Gabe Speier (5.000): $3.3 million
George Kirby (4.151): $9.8 million
Patrick Wisdom (4.135): $1.1 million
Matt Brash (4.121): $1.8 million
Luke Raley (4.106): $3.1 million
Bryce Miller (3.153): $3.9 million (has $6.075 million club option for 2027 with $15K buyout)
Bryan Woo (3.121): $5.2 million
Eduard Bazardo (3.118): $1.5 million
Jose A. Ferrer (3.094): $1.6 million
Michael Rucker (3.069): $800,000
Dominic Canzone (3.014): $3 million
Cooper Criswell (2.143): $900,000
Carlos Vargas (2.140): $800,000

Three observations

• There are a few non-tender candidates on the list above. Two of the more interesting cases to follow will be left-hander Gabe Speier and outfielder Luke Raley.

A $3.3 million salary could be seen as hefty price for a reliever like Speier, who has dealt with shoulder issues in two of the past three seasons and hasn’t been someone the M’s have seemed comfortable calling upon often to pitch back-to-back days. But after the way Seattle’s bullpen struggled following injuries to Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell this season, it is also a big area of need this offseason. So, letting go of an arm with a track record of success may not be a wise decision.

Raley will be another name to watch after his 2026 season was derailed by a torn flexor tendon in his left arm. When healthy, Raley has been a solid platoon bat for the M’s capable of carrying the offense when he gets hot, but he hasn’t had much luck staying on the field the past two years. The team also had a balance issue with too many lefty bats and not enough quality right-handed hitters, which is another reason it could look to spend its money elsewhere.

• Right-hander Logan Gilbert has the highest projected salary of all arbitration-eligible players in MLB at $15.4 million as he heads into his final year of club control, which would be a roughly $4.5 million raise from his 2025 salary. Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes is No. 2 with a $15 million projection.

This is the second straight year the Mariners’ have had the player with the highest projected salary among arbitration-eligible players. Left fielder Randy Arozarena was projected to get $18.2 million for this past season, though he and the M’s eventually settled on a $15.65 million deal to avoid arbitration, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.

• Speaking of Gilbert, the salary for the Mariners’ homegrown starting pitchers is starting to go up. According to MLB Trade Rumors projections, the quartet of Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller is set to make $34.3 million next season, which is assuming the M’s decline Miller’s 2027 club option. Other starters Emerson Hancock and Kade Anderson are set to make the league minimum, which was $780,000 this past season but could go up if a new collective bargaining agreement is reached this offseason.

But with that said, Seattle appears like it will have a cheaper starting rotation heading into next year after trading Luis Castillo and his $21.6 million AAV contract in 2026, barring any contract extensions for Gilbert, Kirby and Co. Entering 2025, the five-man group of Castillo, Gilbert, Kirby, Woo and Miller was set to make roughly $44.9 million, per Spotrac.

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