This could be another example of things going very, very poorly for the Seattle Mariners during the nascent days of the 2014 season. The early days of the long, long spring don't teach us much about what happens at the end of 162 games.
More to the point, the ongoing health issues of Franklin Gutierrez are bigger than baseball. For a 30-year old man to just up and decide he cannot play professional baseball this year, things need be serious.
Gutierrez only has 173 games to his names since 2010 thanks to a very serious condition known as ankylosing spondylitis. When he's played, Gutierrez showed flashes of brilliance. But his illness is unpredictable, the Mariners had no voice but decline his 2014 option, only to re-sign him a free agent a few weeks later.
The Mariners outfield picture is a little cloudier today, though it was hardly crystal clear before Gutierrez's announcement. Abraham Almonte sneaks in to become the fourth outfielder, he of the .264/.313/.403 cameo in a September call-up.
Most importantly, more importantly the Mariners insipid outfield, is the health of Franklin Gutierrez. If his career is over, let him transition into a healthier stage in life, free of the travel rigors and pressure of MLB that let's his body get right. Let baseball be the reward from good health, provided he can find it.