The Mariners parted ways with Jon Garland on Friday.
The team liked what they saw from Garland this spring, but Eric Wedge said the out-clause in the pitcher's deal simply came too early for Seattle's comfort level.
"When you have an out this early in camp, you're put in a position where ultimately, you have to make a decision," Wedge said.
"We were able to get him up to 69 or 70 pitches, but ultimately when you're talking about that type of commitment over a period of time we had to make a tough decision and he had to make a tough decision and that's where the 'ot' came in."
Wedge was asked whether Garland would have had to "separate" himself more from the other pitchers to force the team's hand.
"It's a combination of things," Wedge said. "Obviously, when you talk about Jon or Jeremy Bonderman, you're talking about guys who haven't pitched in a while. So, when you talk about how many starts they may or may not get over the course of the season, you've got to make those decisions. But we do have other guys who are fighting for spots and we feel good about those guys. It's just somewhat of an unusual situation to have an 'out' that early, but I understand why he had it and I'm sure he's going to get other opportunities."