Gilbert won't be cracking the Mariners' Opening Day rotation but will join the team in late April, team president Kevin Mather said in a talk with the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club in early February that was posted to the club's official YouTube channel.

EDGE Analysis

Previous reports suggested that Gilbert would be given a legitimate chance to compete for a roster spot, but Mather seemed to indicate that wasn't the case. The Mariners can deny Gilbert a year of free agency if they keep him in the minors for a few weeks, and it seems as though they'll be prioritizing that over ensuring that they have their best players on the roster on Opening Day.