Cade Marlowe elects free agency from Athletics

Marlowe was cut loose by the Athletics last week after triggering the opt-out in his minor league contract. The 29-year-old outfielder appeared in 42 games for the Mariners from 2023-2024. He was tearing the cover off the ball at the Triple-A level this season, slashing .317/.394/.521 with seven homers and 24 stolen bases in 361 plate appearances in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He’s merely organizational depth at this stage of his career.

De Vries put together an extremely impressive showing in Cactus League play, hitting .409 (18-for-44) with three homers and 11 RBI in 17 contests. The switch-hitting 19-year-old prodigy was the centerpiece of the Mason Miller blockbuster at the trade deadline last July and will open the minor league season at Double-A Midland. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if he reached the big leagues as a teenager in the second half. He’s one of the top 10 prospects in the entire fantasy landscape entering 2026.

Marlowe had a tremendous 2024 season in Triple-A with the Mariners and forced his way into nine MLB plate appearances. Unfortunately, he battled injuries in 2025 and was limited to 46 games at Triple-A, posting a .316/.401/.474 slash line with four home runs and 12 steals. There’s a good chance that he could win a job as a fourth outfielder for the Athletics.

Marlowe was designated for assignment in February, but went unclaimed and stayed in the Seattle organization. He could help the Mariners in 2025 as a backup outfielder, but he’ll have to be added to the 40-man roster in order to d so.

Marlowe was purged from the M’s 40-man roster in early February to clear a spot for the return of Jorge Polanco, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and will report to Triple-A. He’ll be in Mariners’ camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. The 27-year-old appeared in eight games for the Mariners in 2024 but saw just nine plate appearances — going 2-for-8 (.250) with a walk and a run scored.

The signing was announced last week but is now official. The one-year contract also has a $6 million player option for 2026 with a $750K buyout. If Polanco has 550 plate appearances in 2025 then his player option increases to $8 million. The 31-year-old was injured for much of 2024 and struggled to a .213/.296/.355 slash line with 16 homers, 45 RBI, and four stolen bases. However, he will get a chance to play every day for the Mariners to start the season and has a career .263/.330/.435 slash line in 950 MLB games and has at least 14 home runs in four straight seasons, so there’s a chance he can carve out deeper league fantasy value. Cade Marlowe was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

The Mariners needed space on the 40-man roster to make the Jorge Polanco signing official, so Marlowe was let go. While he hit just .235 in 411 Triple-A plate appearances, he also had 13 home runs and 43 steals. The 27-year-old has a .240/.330/.406 career slash line in 109 MLB plate appearances but has shown intriguing power/speed in the minor leagues.

Marlowe didn’t see much playing time during his stay with the big-league club, going 2-for-8 (.250) with a run scored and a 1/1 K/BB ratio in eight games. He’ll return to an everyday role at the Triple-A level until he’s needed once again. Ryan Bliss was promoted from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Marlowe receives his first promotion to the majors this season amidst a flurry of roster moves for Seattle ahead of Tuesday’s showdown against the Angels. The 27-year-old outfielder, who got into 34 contests last year for Seattle, has batted .235/.341/.395 with 13 homers and 43 stolen bases across 411 plate appearances this season at the Triple-A level. There’s some five-category goodness in his profile, but it’s unclear whether he’ll put everything together at the highest level right out of the gate.

The Mariners have one of the deepest outfields in the majors, so it’s no surprise that Marlowe is being sent down. However, it’s a good problem to have for Seattle since Marlowe put together a solid 2023 season when he was in the majors slashing .239/.330/.420. He’ll be one of the first options for the Mariners to call up if there is an injury in the outfield.