Mariners Avoid Sticky Situation With $2.4M Bryce Miller Agreement

Good on both sides here...

Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) reacts after being pulled from the game against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning during game five of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Arbitration in Major League Baseball is almost never a winning proposition, and the Seattle Mariners and right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller appeared set to duke things out.

When Miller and the Mariners missed the deadline earlier this month to agree to a salary for the upcoming season, arbitration loomed at a hearing next month. However, the two sides worked something out thanks to what is effectively a loophole that many clubs use to maintain a facade of a policy.

According to a report from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Miller and the Mariners agreed to a $2.4375 million salary for the upcoming season, with a club option for 2027. That deal has no impact on Miller's eventual free agency, which is not scheduled to occur until after the 2029 campaign.

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Bryce Miller to make $2.4 million, but more importantly...

Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning during game five of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Arbitration hearings are a nasty bit of business. Players, their representation, and team representatives gather in front of a panel and essentially argue about the player's worth, which means one side is saying nasty things about the other, while the other is mostly only saying positive things about themselves.

Relationships can be strained by the process, and Miller, as a "super two" player, would have been liable to go through arbitration four times. Brokering a deal to make sure the young righty could focus on the upcoming season was undoubtedly the preferable outcome.

Miller, in particular, could use some peace of mind. He was good in the playoffs, but in a regular season that was shortened to 90 1/3 innings due to injury, he pitched to an ugly 5.68 ERA, with career-worst walk and strikeout rates and over a hit allowed per inning.

The Mariners could be right back in this position with Miller in a year's time, but in a perfect world, the 27-year-old will pitch so well that it's a no-brainer for the club to pick up the club option. Miller and the Seattle rotation have sky-high expectations for themselves this year.

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