Top Seattle prospect Jarred Kelenic and his agent believe the 21-year-old outfielder has been kept off the Mariners' major league roster because of his refusal to accept a long-term contract offer from the franchise.
Kelenic and agent Brody Scoffield told USA Today they believe Kelenic is being punished by the Mariners.
On Tuesday, Mariners G.M. Jerry Dipoto spoke to the media about Kevin Mather's resignation over his controversial Zoom speech.
The Kelenic situation came up. Dipoto declared it was not news. He said they offered Kelenic the deal over a year ago.
Dipoto claims there was nothing wrong with the offer. "I'm not sure how you can construe the service time manipulation with a 21 year old player who's played 20 games about A ball, and who has not yet achieved 800 plate appearances as a professional player," Dipoto said on Tuesday. "That would be an unprecedented run to the big league league by a baseball draftee that that hasn't happened in three decades."
Scoffield says it was made clear that Kelenic would have made his debut during the shortened 2020 season had he signed the deal. Kelenic told USA Today's Bob Nightengale, "It wasn’t just communicated one time to me. It was told to me several times. That’s the God’s honest truth. It got old."
