The Mariners and outfielder Víctor Robles have agreed to a contract extension, reports Yancen Pujols on X. Jorge Castillo of ESPN confirms the report on X, adding that it’s a two-year, $9.75MM deal that includes a $9MM club option for 2027, as well as $2MM in bonuses and escalators. Robles is represented by Republik Sports.
Daniel Kramer of MLB.com relayed the incentives on X. Robles will receive $500K for 500 plate appearances and another $500K for reaching 600 plate appearances in both 2025 and 2026. There’s also a $1.25MM signing bonus that is part of the $9.75MM guarantee.
The deal is a demonstration of what a remarkable turnaround it’s been for Robles in the past two months. After years of struggles with the Nationals, he was designated for assignment at the end of May. They reportedly then explored trades with other clubs but couldn’t find any takers. Since Robles had enough service time to reject an outright assignment while keeping what remained of this year’s $2.65MM salary, the Nats simply released him.
The Mariners took a shot on him, which essentially came with no risk. The Nats were still on the hook for most of his salary, leaving the Mariners to pay just the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Nats pay.
For that minimal investment, the Mariners have already been hugely rewarded. In 42 games for Seattle, he has three home runs and a batting line of .303/.372/.450. That’s 39% better than league average offense, per wRC+. His .349 batting average on balls in play is definitely on the high side but he’s only striking out at a 16.3% rate and that would be strong offense even with a bit of regression.
That’s especially true because Robles is capable of providing value even when he doesn’t have the bat in his hands. He has stolen 12 bases in 12 tries since coming to Seattle and provided competent glovework in the outfield, playing all three positions on the grass. FanGraphs calculates that he has been worth 1.2 wins above replacement already in his brief stint with the Mariners.
More to come.