Seattle Mariners News: Opening Day Roster Announced, Many New Mariners Make Cut
Seattle Mariners news has the Opening Day roster finally getting announced. The Mariners’ 25-man roster has a lot of new faces, as new general manager Jerry Dipoto has made many changes. A report from the team came out Sunday, April 3, revealing that the two catchers will be Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger. The starting rotation is going to have Felix Hernandez, Hiashi Iwakuma, Taijuan Walker, Wade Miley, and Nathan Karns. Of those seven players, four are new to the Mariners for the 2016 MLB season.
On offense, the Mariners have six infielders for the Opening Day roster, and they are Ketel Marte, Dae-Ho Lee, Kyle Seager, Luis Sardinas, Robinson Cano, and Adam Lind. In the outfield, the Mariners will have Seth Smith, Nori Aoki, Leonys Martin, Franklin Gutierrez, and Nelson Cruz. It is expected that Marte will see most of the time at shortstop and that Martin will serve as the primary center fielder. Aoki could serve as the primary leadoff hitter if he finds success with the Mariners early on.
In the bullpen, the Seattle’ Mariners roster will have Steve Cishek, Nick Vincent, Joaquin Benoit, Tony Zych, Joel Peralta, Mike Montgomery, and Vidal Nuno. Montgomery will have to make the transition from being a starting pitcher for the Mariners to a possible long reliever for 2016. Cishek will begin the season as the closer for the team, with Vincent, Benoit, and Zych as the primary setup guys. The roles could shift depending on early performances, including a shift at closer if Cishek struggles.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the injury to Charlie Furbush led to the team trading for Nick Vincent of the San Diego Padres. Furbush becomes one of several players who will be on the disabled list for Opening Day. The other Seattle Mariners on the DL include Ryan Cook, Evan Scribner and Jesus Sucre. The Mariners could be forced with some tough decisions when those players are eligible to come off the DL, but for now, the team is more worried about being competitive on Opening Day.
The Mariners finished Spring Training with a 16-14 record, which was actually better than the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. The team plays its season opener against the Rangers on Monday, April 4, with first pitch scheduled for about 1:05 p.m. PT. The game is going to receive national attention from ESPN, giving the Mariners a rare opportunity to show the East Coast how the team has evolved. In regard to All-Star voting, that’s good news for Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Kyle Seager.
There are some interesting Seattle Mariners rumors when it comes to the batting order. New manager Scott Servais addressed those Mariners rumors, stating that when the team faces right-handed starters that Kyle Seager would bat in the No. 2 spot. When left-handed starting pitchers are on the mound, Ketel Marte is expected to take over that No. 2 spot. Seager will bat No. 5 against lefties, while Marte will bat lower in the lineup against righties. This will become a familiar set of moves if the team finds success against the Rangers in that first series.
Another expectation from Servais is that all the outfielders on the roster are going to see a lot of action. Nelson Cruz could see a lot of time as the designated hitter with Adam Lind at first base. That would then allow Nori Aoki, Franklin Gutierrez, and Leonys Martin to be the primary starting outfield. Seth Smith would then see action late in games or if the platoon system goes into motion for Servais. A good component of this Seattle Mariners news is that the team has a plan on how to compete on a daily basis.
[Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images]
