As the 2025 regular season begins, Mariners fans in Seattle enter the year following an offseason with minimal roster changes. The most notable addition was veteran infielder Donovan Solano. Despite missing the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024, the team remains well-positioned to compete, largely due to its elite starting rotation.
The Mariners boast four homegrown, front-line-caliber starters—Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo—and resisted trade offers for them throughout the offseason. According to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the organization may be interested in keeping these young pitchers in Seattle long-term.
“I’d love to see all four of our young pitchers stay here,” Mariners chairman John Stanton told Jude. “It requires interest from both the players and the organization, but we strongly believe in maintaining a core group. There’s real value in keeping a talented group together, and I feel great about that.”
Stanton’s comments align with the Mariners’ philosophy of prioritizing internal extensions over big free-agent signings. Players like Julio Rodríguez, Luis Castillo, and J.P. Crawford have all signed lucrative deals with the team after either being developed in-house or acquired via trade.
The Mariners continued this trend just before Opening Day by signing star catcher Cal Raleigh to a six-year, $105 million extension, securing him through 2030. Raleigh, who won a Gold Glove in 2024, has emerged as one of the league’s top offensive catchers over the past three seasons.
His leadership behind the plate has earned widespread praise from Seattle’s pitchers, including Gilbert, who expressed enthusiasm about the extension. Gilbert told Jude that Raleigh’s deal “definitely” strengthens his own desire to remain with the team long-term.
“Seattle has become like home for me, and I’d love to finish my career here,” Gilbert said.
While it remains uncertain where Kirby, Woo, and Miller stand on long-term deals, Gilbert’s willingness to stay is encouraging for the franchise. Since breaking out in 2022, he has been one of baseball’s most consistent starters, posting a 3.36 ERA (112 ERA+) and a 3.50 FIP. His durability is also notable—he has made between 32 and 33 starts in each of the past three seasons, leading the majors with 208 2/3 innings pitched in his 2024 All-Star campaign. That performance earned him a sixth-place finish in AL Cy Young voting.
With two years of team control remaining after this season and his 28th birthday approaching in May, an extension could benefit both Gilbert and the Mariners. A deal would secure financial stability for Gilbert into his early-to-mid 30s while extending Seattle’s control over one of its top arms. However, Gilbert revealed to Jude that extension talks haven’t occurred in “a while” and that he’d be reluctant to negotiate during the season. If an agreement is reached, it will likely come in the next offseason as he prepares for his second-to-last arbitration year.
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