Mariners Lose Veteran Catcher That Helped Inspire MLB Rule Change

The Seattle Mariners have lost some depth pieces...

May 12, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Hat and glove of Seattle Mariners center fielder Dee Gordon (9) sits in dugout during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

One of the first things you are going to see around the league as the Major League Baseball offseason really begins is players electing free agency down in the minors.

This is something that every team deals with and it is important to take a look at because the depth down in the minors is integral to a team's success. Even if you're a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers that can spend seemingly an infinite amount of money, the depth down in the minors helps a team get through, especially when injuries pop up.

That's just a little soapbox on the importance of the minor league depth and how it is underappreciated. For the Seattle Mariners, they have had a handful of guys elect free agency down in the minors. Michael Fulmer is the guy who fans may know the most. But, there are plenty of other guys who elected free agency, including someone who inadvertently helped inspire a rule change across the league.

That is veteran catcher Jacob Nottingham. The 30-year-old spent time down in the minors for the Mariners and slashed .193/.277/.298 with seven RBIs. He has appeared in 53 big league games in four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and Mariners, but hasn't been in the majors since 2021.

He isn't a big-name player on the field, but the biggest fun fact about him is that there was a rule change back in 2022 in the collective bargaining agreement that had to do with him. There was a time in which he went back and forth between the Brewers and Mariners on waivers. Over the span of 22 days, he went from the Brewers, to the Mariners, back to the Brewers, and then back to the Mariners because there was a loophole with waivers.

It's been a busy week for Seattle

Feb 25, 2023; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Jacob Nottingham warms up with his son Aiden Nottingham prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The rule change essentially made it so if a team claimed a player and then he went somewhere else and back on waivers, the team that claimed him would be at the back of the line the next time, as shared by CBS Sports' Mike Axisa.

"This we can call this either the Jacob Nottingham Rule or the Joel Payamps Rule," Axisa said. "Last season Nottingham went from the Brewers to the Mariners to the Brewers to the Mariners on waivers in the span of 22 days. Payamps went from the Red Sox to the Blue Jays to the Red Sox to the Blue Jays in the span of 28 days. That must've been a whirlwind.

"The new CBA has a rule to prevent Nottingham and Payamps-like adventures. Now a team that claims a player on waivers goes to the back of the line whenever the player is placed on waivers later that year. For Nottingham, the Mariners would've been bumped to the end of the waiver priority order the second time the Brewers waived him. Every other team would have had a chance at him before Seattle."

So, he may not be a big-name player, but he's had an impact on Major League Baseball as a whiole and now is a free agent.

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