Seattle Mariners Latest Roster Move Doesn't Seem to Make a Lot of Sense
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The Seattle Mariners are set to promote the red-hot Tyler Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, with Luke Raley headed to the injured list as the corresponding move.
Look, Locklear deserves a shot in the big leagues after putting together a massive year at Triple-A so far. The 24-year-old is hitting .316 in 98 games with 19 home runs, 82 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. It's been a great year for him, and he just won the Pacific Coast League's 'Hitter of the Week' award.
Tyler Locklear 2025 in Tacoma:
— Steve (@MarinersSteve) July 30, 2025
.316//.401//.543
19 HR
137 wRC+
.944 OPS
Welcome back to Seattle!pic.twitter.com/uA2uV6kacl
However, I've got to be honest, this move doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Let's examine:
Is Locklear a long-term roster piece?
Frankly, it doesn't feel like it. Locklear plays first base and designated hitter only. The Mariners already have Josh Naylor penciled in at first base every day, and they are better served utilizing veteran Jorge Polanco at the designated hitter spot. That leads Locklear to be more of a spot-starter and a right-handed hitting option off the bench, but....
They already have Donovan Solano and Dylan Moore that fit those bills. You can quibble with Moore and Solano still being on the roster, but they are here, and Locklear is redundant, especially with Solano doing the exact same thing.
If they see Locklear as a replacement for Solano, then why not make that move on Wednesday, and bring up someone different to take Raley's place?
Is Locklear a short-term roster piece?
Let's say that Raley is out only a minimum of 10 days, everything above still applies. Why are the Mariners carrying Locklear and Solano both at the same time, when they do the exact same thing?
Couldn't the Mariners have brought back Miles Mastrobuoni to fill Raley's spot? Could they have given a look to Samad Taylor? How about Rhylan Thomas, who is still on the 40-man roster?
What about the trade deadline?
The trade deadline is on Thursday, and the entire organization could look different. That said, there is an important game to win on Wednesday still, and the Mariners seem to still have a clunky roster for that game, which is the rubber match of an important series with the A's.
And how about the lineup on Wednesday?
This is where the redundancy of the lineup comes into play, and the Mariners are likely going to have to do something they don't want to do, or something that doesn't give them the best chance to win.
Play the scenarios out in your head as they take on LHP Jeffrey Springs:
--If the Mariners start Cal Raleigh at catcher and Tyler Locklear at DH, then Mitch Garver, who has hit lefties well this season, is on the bench.
--If the Mariners start Cal Raleigh at catcher and Mitch Garver at DH, and Locklear plays first, then Naylor, the biggest acquisition at the trade deadline, isn't playing, which makes the team worse.
The same is true if Garver catches and Raleigh is the DH.
--If the Mariners give Raleigh the day off and have Locklear in the lineup at first or DH, the lineup is worse. Any time you take out your MVP candidate, that's going to be the case.
That's PCL Player of the Week Tyler Locklear to you pic.twitter.com/BdrOP7lzOc
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) July 30, 2025
--If the Mariners don't play Locklear at all, then what exactly is the point of having him here?
The Mariners undoubtedly have a plan, and the trade deadline can further shape its clarity, but for now, I'm struggling to see it. I'm looking forward to being enlightened.
First pitch against the A's is set for 7:05 p.m. PT.
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