Despite some glaring needs for offense, the Mariners only ended up tinkering a bit with their lineup after a pretty quiet offseason.
Major League Signings
- Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: One year, $7.75MM (including $750K buyout of $8MM mutual option for 2026, converts to $6MM player option if Polanco has 450 PA in 2025, and $8MM player option if Polanco has 550 PA in 2025)
- Donovan Solano, IF: One year, $3.5MM
2025 spending: $11.25MM
Total spending: $11.25MM
Option Decisions
- Mitch Haniger, OF: Exercised $15.5MM player option for 2025
- Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: Mariners declined $12MM club option for 2025, paid Polanco $750K buyout
Trades & Claims
- Acquired RP Casey Legumina from Reds for cash considerations
- Acquired IF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni from Cubs for cash considerations
- Acquired IF Austin Shenton from Rays for cash considerations
- Acquired RP Will Klein from Athletics for international bonus pool money
- Acquired minor league C Blake Hunt from Orioles for cash considerations
- Acquired minor league RP Michael Hobbs from Mets for cash considerations
- Claimed RP Hagen Danner off waivers from Blue Jays
- Claimed minor league C Nick Raposo off waivers from Blue Jays (later outrighted off 40-man roster)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Rowdy Tellez, Trevor Gott, Josh Fleming, Adonis Medina, Shintaro Fujinami, Casey Lawrence, Garrett Hill, Jacob Nottingham, Jack Lopez, Jhonathan Diaz, Luis F. Castillo, Neftali Feliz (released), Drew Pomeranz (released), Jesse Hahn (released)
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Haniger, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Josh Rojas, Luis Urias, Sam Haggerty, Austin Voth, JT Chargois
After a few months of scouring the free agent and trade markets for a replacement for second baseman Jorge Polanco, the Mariners ended up signing....third baseman Jorge Polanco, brought back on a one-year deal worth $7.75MM in guaranteed money, and with a vesting option that could guarantee Polanco at least $6MM in 2026. Polanco has played the vast majority of his nine MLB seasons as a middle infielder, but he does have 24 games of experience as a third baseman, with 15 of those games coming as recently as the 2023 season when he was still a member of the Twins.
Polanco's defensive metrics as a second baseman were mostly subpar, and his lack of a strong throwing arm raises questions about how well he'll translate to the hot corner. However, the bigger issue might be whether or not Polanco can rebound from a rough year at the plate. The infielder hit only .213/.296/.355 over 469 plate appearances with Seattle in 2024, while also missing a month due to a hamstring strain, and undergoing surgery in October to correct a lingering left knee problem.
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Jerry Dipoto is still the champion of the status quo and the reigning “King of Lateral trades”.
“Scouring”??? Seriously? More like dumpster diving as they were neck deep in the trash compactor looking for an unblemished diamond thought to be a cubic zirconium. This organization is a joke. 5 times they’ve been in the playoffs… in almost 50 yrs. It’s embarrassing to be a Mariner fan.
The butt of baseball
Mariners ownership is pathetic.
Core Needs Analysis:
Starting Pitching:
The Mariners’ starting rotation is a clear strength. They have a very strong core of pitchers.
Grade: A
Bullpen:
The bullpen is considered solid, with potential for high-end performance.
Grade: B+
Offensive Production:
This is the Mariners’ primary area of concern. The team needs to improve its offensive consistency.
Grade: C-
Defensive Stability:
The mariners have a solid defensive team.
Grade: B
The Mariners’ offseason was characterized by a clear lack of impactful offensive additions.
While maintaining their strong pitching staff is a positive, failing to address their offensive weaknesses is a significant concern.
Overall Offseason Grade: C-
A realistic win prediction would be in the range of:
83-88 wins.
Which equals no playoffs again….
This offseason review could have been basically just womp womp
Mariner fan here. I was at their second game in team history in 1977 and have a been a loyal fan since. Here’s the deal. The M’s are long overdue for a turnaround with players that underperform. A full season of Arozarena and Robles as well as a great Julio season will propel us into the playoffs where with our pitching, we’re going all the way to the World Series. A late season re-signing of Mitch Haniger will pay big time when he hits a walk off grand slam in game seven.
Now I have to take my meds and go lay down.
Can I have some of those meds please?
This season definitely won’t be a slow start and then fast in august just to miss the playoffs by 1 game… never seen that before…
I’m assuming you are residing at Western State insane asylum! Lol
The sarcasm dripping from your comment is so deep it’s created a tsunami that threatens to capsize and sink John Stanton’s new mega yacht!
Got to wonder, how many teams are actually out of the playoffs before game 1 starts? Seems like at least half the teams are.
“Phil Castellini likes your comment”
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “0%” for the “A” option. I guess it’s a combination of a horrendous offseason and not enough people caring to give a joke A, like you’d see with the Rockies