On Wednesday, Mariners’ ace Logan Gilbert met with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. The normality of spring training interviews continued until host Mike Salk popped the question about a Logan Gilbert extension: “Do you find yourself thinking about what the future holds for you?”
In 2024, Gilbert emerged as the Mariners’ best pitcher. A true workhorse since his promotion in 2021, Gilbert has pitched 599 innings in four big league seasons. In 2024, he led the league in games started by a starting pitcher. His career-high of 208.2 innings in 2024 was also league-leading. He also led the league in WHIP with a career-best 0.887. He also had a career-high 220 strikeouts. His consistency throughout the year saw him earn his first All-Star appearance and finish sixth in Cy Young voting, getting 12% of the votes.
Gilbert is in strong contention to take the Mariners’ Opening Day start in 2025. Fans and the team alike see him as the ace going forward.
A Logan Gilbert Extension in Play
To answer the question, Gilbert eased fans’ worries by making it clear he enjoyed being a Mariner.
“I’m definitely open to it. It has to be the right situation for sure, but I’m definitely open to it,” he said. “We’ve had, I mean, loose talks. Haven’t gotten there, but it’s been optimistic I would say.
A master in PR, this news on Gilbert’s attitude and mindset on an extension couldn’t have come at a better time for fans.
Julio Rodriguez is the only one of Seattle’s young, drafted, and developed core to sign a long-term deal with Seattle. With owner John Stanton’s lack of spending, fans can’t help but worry about the situations for Logan Gilbert and Cal Raleigh and what that might mean in the future for other young stars like Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo.
Gilbert seems to like playing in Seattle, so the match makes sense for a young core that could find themselves in contention.
“I love being here, and I’m not just saying that. I’m sure everybody on a headset would say that, but they’ve been good to me.”
Young, controllable starting pitching is one of, if not the most premier assets in the game. Seattle needs to lock Gilbert up if they want any chance at winning anything in the next decade.
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