Sports

Former Mariners outfielder walks away from Athletics after being overlooked

Seattle Mariners On SI · Jul 20, 2026 03:05 · 3 min read

Former Mariners Outfielder Walks Away From Athletics After Being Overlooked — Feb 20, 2025; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners outfielder Cade Marlowe poses for a portrait during media day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Cade Marlowe is done waiting for the Athletics after a productive Triple-A season failed to lead to another major league opportunity.

Cade Marlowe has apparently had enough. After posting strong numbers in the A’s organization, he’s tired of waiting for a major league opportunity that never came.

According to Ari Alexander of 7News Boston, the former Mariners outfielder exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Athletics, sending him back into free agency in the middle of a really good season with Triple-A Las Vegas. Seriously, the guy put up some pretty convincing numbers, slashing .317/.394/.521 with seven home runs, 50 RBI and 24 stolen bases across 361 plate appearances for the Aviators.

Despite playing in hitter-friendly confines, the production has to matter at some point. The Athletics gave Marlowe a minor league deal, sent him to Las Vegas and watched him do essentially everything they could have asked. And despite the A’s being an injury-riddled organization, Marlowe remained in Triple-A.

It only makes sense for him to take control of what little leverage a 29-year-old minor league outfielder can have and walk away.

Cade Marlowe’s Athletics Exit Should Put MLB Teams on Notice

We don’t need to market Marlowe as if he’s some kind of world-beater. Looking at his numbers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and declaring that the Mariners let a valuable piece walk in 2024 would be an overstatement.

It’s unfortunate that Marlowe continues to produce wherever he receives regular playing time, and he has reached the point in his career where another strong Triple-A season does very little for him. He needs a major league opportunity, not another organization telling him how impressed it is while keeping him one phone call away indefinitely.

Marlowe already spent years living in that uncertain space with Seattle. He was selected 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Seattle. He turned himself into one of the better development stories in its system and was named Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2021 after hitting 26 home runs and stealing 24 bases across three levels.

He eventually reached the majors in 2023 and produced one of the more memorable moments of that season when he launched a ninth-inning grand slam against the Angels. He could never settle into a permanent role.

Marlowe appeared in just 42 games for the Mariners across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He slashed .240/.330/.406 with three home runs, 11 RBI, four stolen bases and a 110 OPS+. Seattle then DFA’d him before the 2025 season, and he eventually elected free agency after spending another year in the organization.

Marlowe signed with the A’s because the path appeared to be open. They were rebuilding, lacked established major league depth and should have been one of the easiest organizations for a productive veteran minor leaguer to crack. Marlowe then posted a .914 OPS through 81 games and still couldn’t get the call.

That doesn’t mean Seattle should bring Marlowe back. They have plenty of left-handed outfield options. Don’t be surprised if the Astros give him a call, or another AL West opponent.

Marlowe doesn’t need another organization stashing him in Triple-A as emergency depth. He needs a team willing to place him on a major league bench and find out whether his latest run of production can translate.