PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners reported all players on their 40-man roster are now signed. Club officials said everyone agreed to terms — i.e., there were no club renewals.
Players not yet eligible for arbitration, which generally requires three years of major-league service, have little leverage in negotiations. If the two sides reach an impasse, the club has the option simply to “renew” the contract.
The minimum salary for this season is $507,500, up from $500,000 in 2014.
Lefty options
Manager Lloyd McClendon is increasingly confident the Mariners will carry a second left-handed reliever in addition to Charlie Furbush.
“Now, having said that,” McClendon cautioned, “we still have a long way to go. But I like what I’ve seen to this point.”
The Mariners are sifting through five possibilities: Lucas Luetge, Tyler Olson, Rafael Perez, David Rollins and Joe Saunders.
¦ Lefty reliever Edgar Olmos is still “two or three weeks away” from returning, McClendon estimated, in his recovery from a shoulder injury that prompted Major League Baseball to void a Feb. 24 waiver claim by Texas.
Olmos rejoined the Mariners on March 5.
Pitching plans
Felix Hernandez is slotted for an extra day of rest after his start Sunday in a simulated game against a collection of minor-league players. His next start will come March 21 against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa.
The Mariners also have lefties James Paxton and J.A. Happ slotted next week to pitch in simulated games.
Plans call for Paxton to throw 45 pitches over three innings Tuesday in his first spring mound outing after being slowed earlier in camp by a sore forearm.
Happ is shifting Wednesday to a simulated game after making two Cactus League starts. That prevents him from facing the Oakland Athletics, who he will probably face in his first regular-season start.
Veteran right-hander Kevin Correia, signed March 9 to a minor-league, is scheduled to make his spring debut Tuesday, following Hisashi Iwakuma against the Chicago White Sox.
Other pitching plans:
¦ Sunday vs. Los Angeles Dodgers in Peoria: Roenis Elias, Olson, Perez, Danny Farquhar, Justin Germano and Rollins.
¦ Monday: Open date.
¦ Tuesday vs. Chicago White Sox in Glendale: Iwakuma, Correia, Yoervis Medina, Tom Wilhelmsen and Saunders.
¦ Wednesday vs. Oakland in Peoria: Erasmo Ramirez, Jordan Pries, Luetge and Rollins.
¦ Taijuan Walker, Elias and Hernandez are scheduled to start Thursday through Saturday. Walker will face Cleveland in Peoria, Elias will face Texas in Surprise, and Hernandez will face the Cubs in Mesa.
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