Who needs a 40-man major league roster? Not the Seattle Mariners, at least not at the present time.
The Mariners, positioning themselves for an offseason of transactions to come, are down to 29 players on their roster after first baseman Casey Kotchman today refused the team’s attempt to outright him to the minor leagues and he decided to become a free agent.
You saw this move coming all the way back in June?
Kotchman never gave the Mariners what they’d hoped for after they acquired him from the Red Sox last winter in exchange for utility player Bill Hall. Kotchman played Gold Glove-quality defense at first base but was a scrap metal performer at the plate. Despite the team’s hope that he could have a breakout season offensively with regular at-bats, Kotchman batted .217 with nine home runs and 51 RBI in 125 games.
His future with the Mariners essentially was doomed on July 9 when they acquired 23-year-old first baseman Justin Smoak as their big prize from the Texas Rangers in the Cliff Lee trade.
Kotchman’s departure gives the Mariners a ton of wiggle room roster-wise as they prepare for the Rule 5 draft in December and a winter of maneuvering that could include trades, signings and promotions from within to fill the 40-man roster.
A couple of other notes today:
• Still no word on when the Mariners’ coaching staff will be announced, although it appears most of the heavy lifting has been completed and it could be released very soon.
• There’s at least one player who isn’t bailing on the Mariners (at least not yet) after they outrighted him this week.
Relief pitcher Sean White, outrighted to Class AAA Tacoma on Wednesday, will appear from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Wal-Mart store in Smokey Point (4010 172nd Street NE in Arlington) to sign autographs and talk with fans. As of today, White hadn’t told the club if he will accept the outright or choose to become a free agent.
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