Casey Lawrence Opts Out Of Mariners Deal

Veteran right-hander Casey Lawrence exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Mariners and has been granted his release, MLBTR has learned. He’s a free agent.

Lawrence, 38, has pitched in parts of five big league seasons — most recently in 2025 between the Jays and Mariners. He has an unsightly 6.42 ERA in 141 2/3 innings overall but logged a solid 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3 frames last year and has been a durable innings eater in the Mariners’ Triple-A rotation in Tacoma this season.

Lawrence currently leads the minor leagues with 131 2/3 innings pitched. He’s started 23 games and pitched to a 4.37 ERA that’s a near-identical match for the career 4.43 mark he has in 954 1/3 lifetime innings at the top minor league level. Lawrence misses very few bats (14.4% strikeout rate this season) but has strong command (3.5% walk rate) and above-average ground-ball abilities (46.1%).

While he had several big league stints with Seattle last season, Lawrence hasn’t gotten a look in the majors this year. Emerson Hancock broke out to solidify a rotation spot, giving the M’s six capable starters in the majors for much of the season. The trade of Luis Castillo to the White Sox thinned the big league mix a bit, but prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are both climbing the minor league ladder and are both widely regarded to be among the top five pitching prospects in all of baseball.

A club looking for either some depth in the rotation or length in the bullpen could take a look at Lawrence over the final seven weeks of the season. Lawrence doesn’t have minor league options remaining, so if he’s added to a major league roster at any point, he’ll need to either stick or else be designated for assignment.