SEATTLE -- Players who aren't on 40-man rosters become free agents after fulfilling six years in the Minor Leagues, and the Mariners have a large group in that category this winter, including veteran utilityman Shawn O'Malley and catcher Steven Baron, a former first-round Draft pick.
According to Baseball America, the Mariners had 36 players who become Minor League free agents on Monday, the most of any team in the Majors.
O'Malley, a 29-year-old from Richland, Wash., played 89 games for the Mariners in 2016, but missed all of 2017 after undergoing an appendectomy late in Spring Training and then having shoulder surgery.