Mariners Cut Ties With Current 1st-Round Pick To Make Room For Trade
The Seattle Mariners continue to try and nail down the back end of their roster.
On Tuesday, that meant one trade led to the potential loss of a former first-round pick.
The trade brought a catcher, Jhonny Pereda, to Seattle from the Twins.
But to make space on the 40-man roster, Jackson Kowar had to be designated for assignment. The DFA puts Kowar on waivers, where he could be claimed by another team. If he passes through, then he can remain with the Seattle organization.
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Kowar once had a very strong pedigree. He was a first-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2018 out of the University of Florida.
He has pitched in 54 MLB games in his career, spending parts of three seasons with the Royals and then appearing for Seattle in 2025.
His major league ERA is not pretty: 8.21. He has allowed 83 earned runs in 91.0 innings pitched. Kowar has walked 58 hitters and struck out 90 in his MLB career.
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Seattle got Kowar in a trade from the Atlanta Braves in 2023.
He didn’t pitch at all in 2024 after Tommy John surgery.
In 2025, Kowar pitched 15 times for the Mariners, putting up a 4.24 ERA. He was strong at Triple-A Tacoma when down there, putting up a 2.57 ERA.
Seattle probably wouldn’t mind seeing if the 29-year old Kowar can continue to find his groove, but another team could pick him up on waivers first.
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