Mariners claim Michael Toglia off waivers, place him on 60-day IL

The Seattle Mariners have claimed first baseman Michael Toglia off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, the club announced, with Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reporting the details. Toglia, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after dislocating his shoulder in September, will be stashed on Seattle's 60-day injured list for now — which, as Adams notes, keeps the Mariners' 40-man roster at 39 players rather than pushing it to a full 40.

What happened

Cincinnati had placed Toglia on waivers without any prior public reporting of the move, per Adams. Because players on the injured list cannot be placed on outright waivers under general league rules, Adams writes that it appears Seattle claimed him off release waivers. The Mariners' own press release language — that the 40-man "remains" at 39 — supports that reading, with Toglia parked on the 60-day IL until rosters need to be restructured. Per Adams, that clock starts five days after the conclusion of the World Series, when players must be activated and returned to the 40-man.

The path that brought Toglia to Seattle is a winding one. Colorado dropped him from their 40-man roster last November, and Cincinnati picked him up on a minor league deal over the winter. He made the most of that opportunity in Louisville, slashing .273/.373/.547 with 22 home runs in only 402 plate appearances before the Reds selected him to their big league roster in mid-August. The stay was brief: Toglia appeared in just 10 games and took 28 plate appearances before the shoulder injury ended his season.

Why it matters

On the surface, this is a depth addition — Toglia gives Seattle a first base, corner outfield, and designated hitter option on the 40-man. But the operational wrinkle is what makes this worth watching. Per Adams, Toglia is out of minor league options. That means if the Mariners carry him on the roster through the winter, he will need to either break camp with the club next spring or be designated for assignment. There is no quiet assignment to the minors available. Adams notes there is a decent chance Toglia gets removed from the 40-man at some point this offseason, which would make this claim more of a look-see than a commitment.

For a franchise in the middle of a significant organizational reset, the low-cost, low-obligation nature of a waiver claim fits the moment. The Mariners finished 76-86, were eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, and are now rebuilding their coaching infrastructure. Adding a former first-round pick with legitimate power upside on a claim costs nothing but a roster spot — and that spot is currently occupied by the 60-day IL, which does not count against the active 40-man figure anyway.

The numbers

Toglia's major league track record is a study in the tension between raw power and contact rate. In 458 plate appearances in 2024 — a career high — he hit 25 home runs and posted a .218/.311/.456 batting line, good for a 99 wRC+. The power was real; the 32.1% strikeout rate was the thing that kept the overall production right at league average. The following season, in 337 plate appearances, the contact issues worsened considerably: his strikeout rate climbed north of 39%, and his line fell to .190/.258/.353. That combination led Colorado to designate him for assignment and non-tender him last November.

The Louisville numbers this past season — .273/.373/.547 with 22 home runs in 402 plate appearances — represent the most encouraging stretch of Toglia's professional career. Whether that reflects genuine development or the difference between a minor league environment and major league pitching is precisely the question Seattle is now paying a waiver claim to investigate. At 6'5" and 225 pounds, the switch-hitting Toglia has always had the physical profile of a middle-of-the-order bat. The contact rate has been the persistent obstacle.

Where the club stands

The Mariners closed the season at 76-86 (.469), finishing 3rd in the AL West and 5 games back in the division. They enter the offseason on a two-game winning streak but well outside the playoff picture, eliminated from both the division and Wild Card races — Seattle ranked 9th in the Wild Card standings, 8.0 games relative to the cut line.

The front office has a considerable amount of work ahead. A week removed from GM Jerry Dipoto publicly addressing accountability following the dismissal of manager Dan Wilson, the Mariners are conducting a managerial search, with Torey Lovullo reported as a leading candidate. The coaching staff is also being rebuilt: bench coach Manny Acta and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer will not return. On a more optimistic note, Mariners prospect Kade Anderson was named 2026 Pitching Prospect of the Year after a standout minor league season, giving the organization something to build around on the pitching side.

The Toglia claim lands in the middle of all that activity — a quiet, low-risk roster move that adds a name to the depth chart without foreclosing any options. Which, given the options situation, is a bit of an irony.

What we don't know yet

The most significant open question is Toglia's health timeline. Adams reports that the shoulder injury required season-ending surgery, but no timetable for his return to activity has been reported. Whether he will be ready for spring training — and whether he will be healthy enough to compete for a roster spot — remains uncertain.

It is also unclear how the Mariners view Toglia's long-term fit. A waiver claim is not a statement of intent; it is an option on a player, and in this case, the player himself is out of options. The front office will need to make a decision before or during spring training, and that decision will depend on both his recovery and how the roster takes shape around him.

What to watch

The five-day window after the World Series concludes is the first mechanical checkpoint: that is when players must be activated and returned to the 40-man, which will force Seattle to make a formal accounting of their roster construction. Watch whether Toglia remains on the 40-man at that point or is removed to create flexibility.

Beyond that, spring training will be the real audition. If Toglia is healthy and the contact issues that defined his last two major league seasons have been addressed — or at least stabilized — he has the power profile to earn a role. If the strikeout rate resurfaces, the Mariners will face the same decision Colorado and Cincinnati faced before them. The waiver claim buys Seattle a look. What they do with it is the story still to be written.