Clarifying the Contract Structure For Seattle Mariners Outfielder Mitch Haniger
Monday marked the deadline for MLB teams to take care of several in-house transactions.
Teams had to activate players to the 40-man roster from the 60-day injured list and decide whether to extend qualifying offer to eligible players. Monday was also the deadline for players and clubs to decide whether or not to exercise options.
The Seattle Mariners had two big options going into the first week of the offseason. They declined the club option for second baseman Jorge Polanco on Friday, and Mitch Haniger exercised his player option on Monday. Haniger's option decision was surprisingly dramatic, with it not being officially reported until several hours after the 2 p.m. PT deadline.
There's been speculation that Seattle will move on from Haniger whether he invoked his option or not, but for now, Haniger remains with the organization.
However, the contract that he's going to play under has been a little difficult to comprehend. Some outlets, including us, have said the option was for $17.5 million. Other outlets said $15.5 million. So, after doing some digging, here's what we've learned:
Haniger is going to be paid $17.5 million this season by Seattle. There's a $15.5 million base salary and a $2 million pro-rated signing bonus from the deal he signed with the Giants before the 2023 season.
Mitch Haniger keeps this game tied with this 95.6 MPH cannon 😤 pic.twitter.com/Tu7NQK7Y2I
— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2024
Haniger is coming off a season in which he hit .208 with just 12 home runs. The Mariners went 85-77 and missed the playoffs by one game.
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