Mariners’ prep for draft with No. 3 pick tougher than expected

Jul 4, 2025, 9:11 AM

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners have developed a reputation over the past several years of being one of MLB’s best at evaluating talent in the draft.

Keith Law’s top draft options for Mariners at No. 3 overall

The organization has hit on first-round picks like Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. It has found gems in the middle rounds like third-rounder Cal Raleigh, fourth-rounder Bryce Miller and sixth-rounder Bryan Woo. It’s had later-round picks like 12th-rounder Logan Evans make quick ascensions to the big leagues.

And currently, Seattle holds the most prospects (nine) in both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America’s top 100 rankings.

The M’s lucked out in a major way back in December when they jumped 12 spots in the draft lottery and landed the No. 3 overall pick. Due to landing that selection and also receiving a comp round A pick, the team also has the most bonus pool money ($17,074,400) to work with in this year’s draft, which starts with the first round July 13.

Having a top-three pick would greatly narrow the list of prospects to zero in on in most drafts, which would seem to set Seattle’s scouting department up for a home run pick. But this year’s draft is different due to parity at the top of the prospect list, which Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said has made this draft process more difficult than expected.

“I thought it was gonna be a lot easier, to be honest with you,” Hunter told reporters at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday. “When we hit the lottery at the at the winter meetings, we thought, ‘Oh, man, this is gonna be an easy one.’ But with a draft that I don’t think there’s a clear No. 1 or No. 2 and with us having such a big bonus pool, I think we can do a lot of different things.”

MLB Draft Order

One of the things the Mariners could do is find a spot in the draft – potentially even the third pick – to take a player who would sign for under the bonus pool money slotted for the pick they are taken with.

The Mariners have had success with that strategy recently. In 2023, they allocated less money to second-rounder Ben Williamson in order to allocate more to first-rounders Colt Emerson and Jonny Farmelo – a pair of high school draftees who could have opted to go to college instead of signing. They also signed second-rounder Ryan Sloan, a high school pitcher, for well over his slot value last year.

“I think everybody (in the league is) talking about who cuts the best deal, how much can we spread money out,” Hunter said. “I know a few of the scouting directors I’ve spoken to over the last few years said that (after seeing) what we did last year with Sloan, they would like to be aggressive and have money spent further down.”

Hunter said what the Mariners do with the third pick will have the biggest impact on the creative routes they could go.

As far as which way the Mariners are leaning with that third pick, it seems they’re still wrestling with that answer.

“I think we have six or seven guys that are like, ‘OK, how do we line these six or seven up?’ Is it the best deal? Is it the best player?'” Hunter said. “Like, they’re so crammed together up there right now that I think the separation is going to be very thin in regards to who we actually take.

“… I usually have a lead horse when I go in, but right now I’m waiting to see what our information from other departments – our high performance, our medical teams. There’s such a fine line. Like one little piece of information could really sway our room.”

The 2025 MLB Draft is set for Sunday, July 13 and Monday, July 14.