The Mariners have added another bat to their depth chart, claiming first baseman Michael Toglia off waivers from the Reds, according to a team announcement.
Cincinnati had not previously been reported to have placed Toglia on waivers. He had been on the 60-day injured list since early September after dislocating his shoulder.
Toglia landed with the Reds on a minor league deal over the winter after Colorado removed him from the 40-man roster. He put together a strong year in Louisville, hitting .273/.373/.547 with 22 home runs in 402 plate appearances before getting called up to the big league roster in mid-August.
His time on the active roster was brief. Toglia played in 10 games, logged 28 plate appearances and then suffered the shoulder injury that ended his season and required surgery.
The 6’5″, 225-pound switch-hitter came into pro ball as a former first-round pick and a respected prospect in the Rockies system, but contact has always been the issue. He did reach a career-high 458 plate appearances in 2024 and launched 25 homers, yet his 32.1% strikeout rate dragged down the overall production and left him with a .218/.311/.456 line, worth a 99 wRC+.
The next season was even rougher: Toglia hit .190/.258/.353 in 337 plate appearances, with his strikeout rate climbing past 39%. That stretch prompted Colorado to designate him for assignment and later non-tender him last November.
Because Toglia is out of minor league options, Seattle would have to either carry him on the roster through the winter and break camp with him or designate him for assignment again. For now, he gives the Mariners another first base, corner outfield and designated hitter option, though there’s a good chance he comes off the 40-man roster at some point during the offseason.
Players on the injured list cannot be placed on outright waivers, so the Mariners likely claimed Toglia off release waivers. Seattle’s press release said the 40-man roster “remains” at 39 players, which suggests Toglia will be stashed on the club’s own 60-day IL until roster moves are needed to open spots again five days after the conclusion of the World Series.
In Other News...
Mariners May Have A Familiar Answer In Their Manager Search
The Mariners are again sorting through their managerial options after parting with Dan Wilson, and one familiar name is getting traction inside the conversation. Kristopher Negrn fits the kind of profile Seattle often leans toward in these searches: he knows the organization, has coaching experience, and has already spent time managing at the Triple-A level.
Jerry Dipoto has said he would prefer a manager with Major League experience, though he has not closed the door on a first-time hire, which keeps Negrn in the mix. He also has at least a small bit of big-league history in Seattle, having served as the Mariners manager for one game in 2022, and he most recently worked as the Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach, making him a known quantity in a search that still feels open-ended. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipotos Mariners Reset Just Got Even Harder
The Mariners have already begun reshaping the dugout, parting ways with Dan Wilson and assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes as the organization tries to claw back toward playoff contention. It is the kind of in-season correction that signals urgency, but it also underscores how much work still sits ahead for Jerry Dipoto and a front office trying to steady a club that has not met expectations.
Dipoto has acknowledged how difficult it is to make meaningful changes in the middle of a season, and the calendar does not offer much relief. With the looming MLB labor stoppage expected to limit communication between team personnel and players, Seattle is staring at a compressed offseason and the possibility of a shortened 2024 season if Collective Bargaining Agreement talks drag on. For a team trying to reset while staying competitive, the timing could hardly be less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Offseason Pressure Centers On One Roster Fix They Can't Dodge
The Mariners offseason has arrived with a very familiar problem sitting at the center of it. After finishing 76-86 and watching both their defense and offense sink to the bottom of the sport, Seattle enters the winter with a roster that needs more than a tweak. The numbers tell the story plainly enough: last in the majors in defensive metrics, a .233 batting average and a .693 OPS.
What makes the task harder is that this is not a one-area fix. The Mariners need cleaner defense, more established bats and a better overall roster construction if they want to stop fighting the same holes again next year. It leaves the front office with little room to dodge the obvious, because the path forward starts with addressing the part of the roster that let too many games slip away in 2026. [Read more 🡒]