Feb 24, 2021
Jarred Kelenic, a top prospect for the Mariners, said he believes the organization is manipulating his service time and punishing him for refusing to sign a previous contract proposal.
Kelenic, the No. 4 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com, said it is beyond frustrating to remain in the minor leagues despite being ready to play for the Mariners in 2020 and 2021. Not to be given that opportunity was so beyond frustrating, Kelenic told
USA Today s Bob Nightengale. I feel that guys should be rewarded for their play, and have the best guys on the field, especially when you talk about a team that hasn t gone to the playoffs in 20 years, and your best prospects are just sitting there watching.
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
The Situation
On Feb. 5, Mather was in a Zoom call with members of a rotary club. It was here that he made comments regarding international players’ English speaking skills. These insensitive comments were specifically targeted toward former Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and Julio Rodriguez, a prospect from the Dominican Republic.
Additionally, Mather made statements regarding manipulating the service time of certain prospects in the Mariners’ organization. Mather stated that top prospect Jarred Kelenic was being held in the minor leagues in order to delay his free agency.
Mather officially resigned on Monday, soon after the comments were made public. Now, Dipoto is left to clean up the damage.
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Photo by John Sleezer/Getty Images
By now, many of you will have heard the short, strange, sad saga of Mariners Club President Kevin Mather. If you haven’t, our Mariners-focused sister site, Lookout Landing, has covered the topicprettyextensively. The short version is that Mather said out loud the quiet part that many avid fans of baseball have noted for a long time. He talked about service time manipulation for top prospects. He complained about non-white players indiscriminately. He chortled at the misfortune of free agents who are just trying to find jobs this off-season while more or less admitting that despite their complaints to the contrary, the Mariners were in perfectly good financial standing following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
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Kelenic, agent express frustration with Mariners
By TIM BOOTHFebruary 24, 2021 GMT
FILE - In this July 3, 2020, file photo, Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic walks on the field during baseball practice in Seattle. Kelenic, a top Seattle prospect, and his agent believe the 21-year-old outfielder has been kept off the Mariners’ major league roster because of his refusal to accept a long-term contract offer from the franchise. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
FILE - In this July 3, 2020, file photo, Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic walks on the field during baseball practice in Seattle. Kelenic, a top Seattle prospect, and his agent believe the 21-year-old outfielder has been kept off the Mariners’ major league roster because of his refusal to accept a long-term contract offer from the franchise. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)