At the end of the 2025 season, the Mariners lost three infielders to free agency, as each of Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez hit the open market. That left shortstop J.P. Crawford as the only lock for the 2026 infield. The M’s quickly pounced to bring Naylor back, signing the first baseman to a five-year, $92.5MM deal not long after free agency began.
Reuniting with Polanco and/or Suárez still seems to be on the table but second and third base are open for now. What options do the Mariners have in the system at present? Let’s take a look at the possibilities.
Young is a former first-round pick, with the M’s taking him 21st overall in 2022. He came into 2025 as a consensus top 100 prospect. He was promoted to the big leagues at the end of May and primarily played second base. He eventually took 257 trips to the plate but produced a tepid .211/.302/.305 line, which translates to a wRC+ of 80.
That’s obviously less than ideal but there are some reasons for optimism. Young’s 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate were both strong. His .247 batting average on balls in play was more than 40 points below league average. His average exit velocity of 87.6 miles per hour was subpar but his max exit velo of 114.1 mph was in the top 10% of major league hitters. Perhaps he can tap into that premium velo a bit more as he gets more exposed to big league pitching. He hit .277/.392/.461 for a 120 wRC+ in Triple-A prior to his promotion, so perhaps his uninspiring major league debut was just a blip.
One year after taking Young, the M’s were selecting one pick later in the first round. They used the 22nd overall pick in 2023 to grab Emerson. He had a big rise in 2025, playing 90 games in High-A, followed by 34 in Double-A and six in Triple-A. Between those three levels, he took 600 trips to the plate and slashed .285/.383/.458 for a 129 wRC+. He also stole 14 bases while primarily playing shortstop, plus a few games at third.
Emerson is now a consensus top 15 prospect in the whole league. His Triple-A experience is still minimal and he’s only 20 years old but the Mariners would presumably have at least some willingness to carry him on the Opening Day roster. MLB teams are generally more willing to do that with top prospects these days because of the PPI benefits. The M’s carried 21-year-old Julio Rodríguez on their roster throughout 2022. When he won Rookie of the Year, that netted the M’s an extra pick in 2023. That allowed them to select outfielder Jonny Farmelo just seven picks after taking Emerson.
The M’s presumably won’t just hand a job to Emerson. He will have to earn it in spring. Theoretically, he could take over third base in 2026. Crawford is slated to be a free agent a year from now, at which point Emerson could potentially move over to short. It’s also possible that Felnin Celesten is more of a factor by then. Celesten is considered a better shortstop defender than Emerson but he hasn’t reached Double-A yet.
Bliss was a second-round pick of the Diamondbacks who came to the Mariners in the 2023 deadline deal which sent Paul Sewald to the desert. His 2025 season was marred by injury. First, a torn left biceps required surgery in April. He began a rehab assignment in August but then suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. Due to that missed time, he has a .214/.287/.367 line in just 110 big league plate appearances over the past two seasons.
His minor league track record is naturally better than that. Bliss has 739 Triple-A plate appearances with a .260/.365/.453 line and 105 wRC+. He’s also huge threat on the bases with at least 50 steals in the minors in both 2023 and 2024. He has lots of minor league experience at both middle infield positions. He never had the same prospect hype as Young or Emerson but the speed and defense could make him a valuable player with even league average offense.
Williamson was a second-round pick in 2023. He generally put up good minor league numbers but with a pesky contact-based approach and very little power. He got into 85 big league games this year and hit .253/.294/.310 for a wRC+ of 76. There could be more in the bat but Williamson is lauded more for his glovework. Statcast only had him as average in the field this year but he was credited with eight Defensive Runs Saved.
Arroyo, 21, was an international signing out of Colombia and is now a consensus Top 100 prospect. In 2025, he got into 65 High-A games and 56 Double-A contests. Between those two levels, he slashed .262/.401/.433 for a wRC+ of 139. He has a bit of experience at third base and shortstop but was kept exclusively at second base in 2025. Since he hasn’t yet played at the Triple-A level, it’s probably a bit of a reach for him to crack the Opening Day roster, but he might have an outside chance. Even if Opening Day is out of the question, a midseason promotion would be a possibility.
Leo Rivas/Miles Mastrobuoni/Samad Taylor
These three are more in the part-time or utility bucket. Rivas can draw walks but has little power. He can play the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as the outfield corners. He could be on the bench but he also has an option remaining. Mastrobuoni’s minor league profile is somewhat similar but he hasn’t hit in the majors and is now out of options. Taylor has just 83 big league plate appearances and is also out of options. He has big wheels and can also play the outfield, so he could be a nice bench piece who comes in for pinch running and/or defensive substitute opportunities.
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Put it all together and it puts the Mariners in an interesting position. They are clearly in win-now mode. They just finished their fifth straight winning season. They won the West for the first time in over 20 years. They came achingly close to a World Series berth. The Astros and Rangers seem to be dealing with payroll issues. The A’s have some promise but still need to build a pitching staff. The Angels have lots of questions to be answered. The division is there for the Mariners to take.
That should arguably tilt them towards going for established big leaguers such as Polanco or Suárez or whoever else. On the other hand, there’s a chance Emerson is a future star who is ready to go. If he struggles in the spring, Williamson at least gives them a glove-first floor as a fallback. At second base, the M’s could leave it open for Young, Bliss and Arroyo to duke it out. Between the three, they would only need one of them to step forward and seize the job.
In an ideal world, a utility player who can also move to the outfield would make a lot of sense, so perhaps the M’s will make a spirited pursuit of Brendan Donovan. He could play second or third if the younger guys don’t take those jobs. If they do, he could move into the corner infield mix with Victor Robles, Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley. If that also got too crowded, the designated hitter spot is fairly open at the moment. Free agents like Willi Castro or Amed Rosario would be less-exciting versions of the Donovan pick-up.
RosterResource has the club slated for a $151MM payroll in 2026. That’s about $15MM below the $166MM they had at the end of 2025. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently said that next year’s payroll would probably be in a similar range to the prior season. Like all teams, they could use some pitching upgrades, so it will be fascinating to see how much of their remaining resources they use on the infield.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
If you don’t get off it and sign Polanco AND Suarez, I am going to be very disappointed in you Jerry!!
mlbtraderumors.com/mlb-free-agent-prediction-conte…
Signing 35 year old Suarez would be a big waste of money he has question marks all over him at this point
Yeah, I misread my pick on him …for some reason, saw Former Team as my choice. Have him going to the Red Sox …let them waste it!
Suarez is better off playing in AZ where it is warm, Marlins could be a could be a good fit.
I dont think he is up for Seattle again.
Suarez loves Seattle, but based on how he hit in the second half and the playoffs and the cost, I doubt Seattle is up for another go-round.
The only reason to keep him would be for the clubhouse. I can’t see any other reason.
I hear what you’re saying but for me it depends a bit on what he ends up getting on the open market. I think MLBTR’s prediction for him is quite a bit high. I really can’t see a club offering him a 3 year deal. If the M’s could snag him on a one year with an option, then I think it could make sense. Eugenio’s a gamer…. I enjoy watching him play.
My point was in regards to where he as a player would prefer to play. He could take less money to play in AZ if they offer him a fair contract.
The D-backs are taking a step back on payroll and have pitching needs (AND they may not end up being a contender due to that). Highly doubtful he returns to Arizona.
TGO
” I myself prefer bats that make, you know, contact.”
Player K%
Arraez 3.1
Ohtani 25.7
Maybe, the type of contact matters a lot and not just the amount
Wow. Someone using their head.
2 extremes there.
On paper you could have 9 Teoscar Hernandez’s offensively and your lineup would likely hit above the league average. But in reality you’ll have a million 3 k innings and your team won’t be very good.
It’s all about balance.
B44
Your defense will certainly suck
No reason that I’m aware of to think that your offense will be significantly worse than 12% above average (Teoscar’s FanGraphs wRC+ projection for next year).
“Suarez has neither Arraez eye or Ohtani’s ability”
Right! That’s the point that your original statement missed
There’s more to hitting than contact.
Suarez was an excellent hitter last year and Fangraphs projects him to be a better than average hitter this year.
Baseball isn’t played on a spreadsheet unfortunately. A team that strikeouts every other AB isn’t going anywhere. Big reason why Toronto almost won the WS is because they didn’t. Forget his defense—-9 Teo’s isn’t a recipe for success
B44
“Baseball isn’t played on a spreadsheet unfortunately. A team that strikeouts every other AB isn’t going anywhere.”
A spreadsheet would tell you that a team with a 50% strikeoutv rate would be terrible
Baseball also isn’t played inside your brain
“Big reason why Toronto almost won the WS is because they didn’t. Forget his defense—-9 Teo’s isn’t a recipe for success”
The Blue Jays lost the World Series, right?
What point are you trying to make?
A team with 9 Teo’s would be above average on offense and terrible on defense. So terrible they would lose well over half of their games, I’d imagine, I might figure ot out but I’m on a bus from Cairo to Alexandria right now, unless their pitching staff was one that managed to strike out 50% of batters.
TGO
What?
It seems like you’re just looking to argue about something
I never said that he was excellent with Seattle or anything remotely along those lines.
TGO
Yes. I did say that
Do you see and understand the difference between these two statements
“Suarez was an excellent hitter last year ”
And
“Suarez was an excellent hitter with Seattle last year”
?
And, for the record
Suarez in 2025: 125 wRC+
An excellent hitter
Gee from what have you done for me lately club.
Yep he still kind of stinks
He was on a park assisted heater in Arizona.
It was the perfect park so for him. His road stats look like the same old regular suarez.
He should resign in the dessert!
I wouldn’t want them to sign Suarez back. Polanco is fine at the right price but more as a DH
Suarez is not a good fit in Seattle
365 games with the Mariners he’s batting .
227
He is a career .211 hitter at T-Mobile
Jorge Polanco I wouldn’t mind having back. He had a lot of clutch hits last year
If they add one more player of similar overall projection to those players and add to the bullpen will be fine off-season. Obviously hoping for more than that but not if it requires being stupid about contracts. Polanco is a great fit, wont block anyone but offers some infield insurance. He makes the most sense to me short of getting splashy which doesnt fit the payroll they have thrown out. DH, 3B and OF all make sense as spots they can improve. I think we see a Jerry Special though, still need bullpen help pretty urgently and could use another starter to avoid the over relying on Hancock and Evans. I could see them trading Castillo and signing or trading for a stop gap SP too.
Mariners will fall this year unless they keep them.
They only made the post season this year because the Astros were destroyed by injuries.
And the Mariners didn’t have injuries??! Kirby, Gilbert and Miller all
Out for multiple months? Woo injured at the end of the year? Robles out for
Five months? Come on. I am still enjoying the sweep by the Mariners in Houston in September.
Four of the Mariners’ five starting pitchers hit the IL and they lost their right fielder for most of the season and they still won 90.
Injuries certainly hurt Houston’s chances, but that doesn’t take anything away from Seattle.
Yawn.
You lost the division because the Mariners were better than the Astros
If Houston had won the division they would have faced Boston in the WC. So Red Sox are more likely to make the division series.
Seattle would have had to have the Yankees. Tigers would have been out of the playoffs.
Don’t forget the garbage can on your way out.
I’m an Astros fan and not even I believe that.
And now they have no pitching staff after Brown….they won’t be back on top for awhile.
Did simon say?
My guess is we resign polanco and call it an off-season but I would prefer to get some better bullpen pieces
Really hope we can add a legit 8th inning guy to go along with Polanco
Right now my semi-relaistic dream scenario is to sign Polanco and make a trade with the Cards for Donovan and JoJo Romero. Then call it an off-season
Polanco and Donovan wouldn’t happen at the same time but maybe Donovan is a fallback option
Keep in mind we have 3-4 strong middle infield prospects
Polanco primarily at DH. Donovan at 2nd or 3rd. Prospects compete for one of the infield spots.
I think they’ll add something to the bullpen. Seems like they have a little room to work with.
Ben Williamson should not be taken seriously as an internal option IMO. The bat is abysmal, and the glove metrics didn’t match up to hype. We shouldn’t be willing to just hand him 3B if we expect to contend for a World Series. Go pretend to be a serious organization and upgrade an obvious position of need.
Ben’s bat looked a lot better after we optioned him, so if he can be a 95-100 wRc hitter then his defense will carry him. He would have to be one of our 2 worst hitters tho hitting in the 8 hole, but hey we saw Ernie Clement single/double his way into a productive player in the postseason.
8 DRS in less than half a season is incredible. He also showed a lot of offensive growth after being optioned.
Honestly, I think Williamson could develop roughly average extra base power if he can tweak his swing and start hitting the ball in the air more. The defense alone already makes him a second division starter.
Yes, it would be nice to have Polanco’s bat back but it comes with an extensive injury history, which includes IL stints in ’22, ’23 and ’24. Thank him for the production and let him walk. Seattle’s farm system is overflowing with highly regarded infielders, all of whom have earned the right to compete for a starting job.
The Mariners have the prospect talent to seize control of the division in 2027 and beyond, but they need to let the youngsters play.
If he comes back, I think he’d be penciled in as the main DH.
The Dodgers farm system is loaded. Do they let their youngsters play? No. They load up on the best FA they can buy. The M’s have holes in RF, 2B, 3B, DH and relief pitching. You are not going to find impact players for all of these spots in the farm system or the bargain bin.
obviously you don’t know the Mariners if you think RF is an issue for them,. They had a third-year player (Canzone) break out in 2025……
.300/.358/,481 they also have Robles to start against some off the LHPs. Not a lot f power, but great speed and defense.
Exactly. They do not have a complete RF. Robles has no power at a power position. Canzone has one good season in five. years of MLB ball.
No such thing as Position of Power, besides you gave CF and C picking up RF lack of Power… besides I’d rather see singles and SBs before 200Ks and 25HRs woth terrible defense…
Clearly you don’t watch games if you think his defense wasn’t well above average. As for the bat, you likely aren’t aware of the swing adjustment he made after going back to AAA which allowed him to elevate better. Plus, we all know guys either make it or fail based on 200ish at bats as rookies. Goodness…
Agree with you BlackJack, Williamson’s glove is elite. If we get another middle of the order and/or leadoff hitter and Williamson starts the season at 3rd, I would be more than happy with that.
Exactly. He would be an 8/9 hitter. We don’t need our 3rd base to be in the top half.
I disagree. In fact, I believe they’d have done better with him than Suarez. I think Suarez’s defense cost us more than anything his bat brought. I remember thinking Williamson would had caught that triple down the line.
His bat speed seems just behind Cal and Julio, he has the power.
Have you ever looked up Suarez, Seager, Paredes, or Caminero Rookie numbers? Definitely not if you think Ben’s numbers was Abysmal… plus he was our 2nd best RISP hitter… SMH
Ben wont just he handed 3B unless they make a big add elsewhere, but is a fine option to have in the mix. His defense can carry even a slightly below average bat. He hasn’t even been that yet but feel he has a decent chance at being a regular at some point. If the defense really is elite he has quite the offensive floor before its a problem
Polanco barely played second base last year. He mainly was a designated hitter.
That said he’s still a nice bat , but you can’t count on him for a hundred twenty games in the field
don’t need Polanco to play 120 games at 2B. If he returns he’ll DH mostly (and Cal Raleigh will DH about 50-60 games). Polanco can share 2B with one of Young, Bliss or Rivas
I have to say one option is package deal of Luis Castillo, Dominic Canzone,Luke Raley and a prospect for 3rd base or 2nd basement player.. Get Luis Castillo money off the books, mariners can go out get another platoon guy for RF..
I think we absolutely should trade Raley this offseason. Canzone has supplanted him and Raley has to have some decent trade value. Maybe a lefty bullpen arm for Raley?
Castillo trade would be cool. Wouldn’t want to salary dump him or anything, so we would have to get a decent return. But also, Luis is a great 5 starter to have around as he’s been very durable. Just sucks to pay a 5 starter $22m lol
I don’t think Castillo is a number five starter at all. He’s a solid three, arguably better than both Kirby and Miller, and he gives them dependable innings.
I don’t think they’ll trade him. I don’t think they could afford to trade him.
Castillo is NOT a #5 starter! Consistently putting up #2 or #3 starter numbers for all of his 3 1/2 seasons in Seattle. 3.54 ERA last year, WHIP under 1.2 baserunners per 9 innings – made all 32 starts, pitching 180 innings.
If you think Castillo is a #5 Starter you defintely don’t watch enough Baseball…
Good chance Raley gets traded. Out of him Canzone and Robles thats too many RF and Canzone and Raley lack the bats for significant DH time, would be a waste of roster spot. Maybe they shop for a RF
Canzone may be a good enough bat to primarily DH going forward but probably wouldn’t project that.
That sounds like a solution in search of a problem when the team already has a surplus of infield prospects. Not to mention Evans and Hancock are nowhere near the caliber of SPs that Castillo is. They were lucky to get even the fringe #5 starter production from both last year.
Seattle is walking a tightrope with an elite 5 man rotation and virtually zero proven depth behind it. Assuming Dipoto intends to trade excess OF/1B bats, the focus should be on stocking the minors with near mlb ready arms. Basically, insurance for the current rotation.
I agree, and it’s worth noting they’ve already added 4 relievers for depth, but they still have a need for 3-4 more relievers for the active roster.
We already have those close to ML Arms… Sloan , Anderson, and the 2 armed Monster where have you been?
Get into reality.
I would trade Castillo to the Padres for RF Ramon Laureano, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft and RHP Miguel Mendez. They need MLB ready starting pitching.
That is a horrible trade why would the padres trade a 900 ops bat that is cheap for a highly paid 3-4th starter that is getting older
Padres need to save money not throw away money
Zero chance the Padres trade for Castillo and pay him 24m per.
Laureano is making 6.5m coming off a season with a .900 ops. Plus trading what maybe their best prospect Kruz and a good prospect in Mendez.
The padres very well may trade Kruz and or Mendez but it will be more a less expensive starter. Perhaps for a player like Senga who is owed much less money.
They have Salary issues
The Padres would simply go out in free agency and sign a pitcher without giving up that kind of a haul for a 32 year old pitcher who is on a market value deal.
They will probably see if they can do the Nick pivetta thing again
Hopefully we can re-sign Polanco for 3/42 and he can play 60 ish games at 2b, with the rest coming at DH. Maybe Cole or Colt could hold down 2b and we can re-evaluate at the trade deadline. Really wish Polanco could play 3b but he looked awful there last year.
The thing about Felnin Celesten is his defense got a little bit worse in 2025, while Colt Emerson’s defense rocketed up to solidly plus status. I’m still a huge believer in Felnin but he still needs to put together a nice full season before we even think about him in the bigs.
I know some people don’t like Ben because of his noodle bat, but I’d be completely fine with him to start the year, same as 2025. He has contact ability
The reason I like the idea of Polanco plus a trade for Donovan is that Donovan can play 2nd, 3rd and the outfield (not at the same time though 🤓)… then you call roll the dice and hope that one of the propsects emerges. I don’t like the idea of havoing to rely on propsects filling 2 spots.
Williamson actually had a 40.5% HardHit rate> He just didn’t lift the ball enough, but that’s something he worked on in Tacoma and his slash line over his las 164 PAs in Tacoma was .314/.392/.462.
I don’t like to read into AAA stats too much, but his swing path looked better and he made better (and more) contact, with just a 13.3% K-rate.
Factor in the defense and I think he’s a perfectly fine option to start the season with as well.
Crawford had a much better season than most people may realize. The defense wasn’t what we’ve been accustomed to, but imagine if they extend him and slide him over to second? If Williamson can handle third, and Emerson takes short, Seattle could have a really great controllable infield.
I feel people are underselling Williamson’s hitting potential. If he is in spitting distance of a league average hitter, hes fine as a starting 3B. I personally wouldnt rely on that going into the season, but wouldnt dismiss the idea of him being good enough going forward for that role and wouldnt be surprised if he is part of a 3B job share going into the season. If the defense is as appears, I think he can be say a 90 wRC+ hitter and probably be fine.
Polo played like 4 games at third
Polanco’s looking for a 2-3 year deal, at between $15 and $20 million AAV. Given that he’s a below average defender at 2B and has no other position but DH, I don’t see a multiple year deal at that level as good value for the Ms. Over the last three seasons, he’s averaged 1.9 bWAR. He’s going into his 32 y/o season and not getting any better. He played the majority of his games at DH last season and the Ms need to get Raleigh more DH ABs, especially with Harry Ford coming along. Unless Polanco’s market doesn’t develop and, like last off-season, the Ms can get him at a more reasonable level, I don’t see him coming back.
Good point with Harry Ford. If we keep Harry as our second catcher, he would most likely need a good chunk of games at DH to get PAs. That would leave Polanco as a full time (or close to it) 2b, which as you’ve said, is not likely or smart.
I know, I think that Polanco is going to want more than a two year deal.
I could see the mariners trading for a guy like Jeff McNeil and the Mets eating some money.
Donavon also makes sense. I guess another option in the McNeil range would be a player like Jake Cronenworth. Just throwing out names of guys who can play second more full time and a similar price range aav wise. Though longer term deals that may not be as appealing.
Don’t get me wrong, Donovan is a solid player, but I don’t think I’ve ever considered him exciting.
The Mariners don’t need exciting, they need contact that gets on base…
Less strikeouts, better defense, and more stolen bases actually wins games… imagine that 😳
Nice call
Yet they said he is more “exciting.”. Willi Castro isn’t the fielder, but his base running is exciting, and he will be easier to acquire, as a FA. Don’t let his momentary downturn in CHI fool you.
If a hitter who plays average-to-plus defense at 5 positions and has an OPS+ in the 120 range doesn’t excite you idk what will at that point.
It is not Jerry’s ultimate choice whether we resign Eugenio Suarez or not. He does not make decision’s on how much the club gas to spend each year. That falls on John Stanton and the gang. As much as I like Eugenio as a person I really hope that they do not resign him. At age 34, he does not hit at our ballpark, period, his glove is below average, he strikes out a ton and we need contact hitters to add to the line-up, and a 2-3 year deal may not age well. I would love to see us bring Polanco back but it may cost more than we hope. he wasn’t just a good hitter last year, he was truly clutch. Emerson and Arroyo could be really good in the near future but if our pitching staff stays healthy, next year could be fantastic. Need at least one more high leverage arm in the bullpen, a left like JoJo Romero would be perfect but could use a late inning righty as well. They have to make a trade and take advantage of the terrific farm system. Not all of those guys are going to be Julio, Cal, Logan, George K etc. Brendan Donovan would be so great but I think there is a lot of competition for him if the Cards trade him. Kwan? Could you get Jarren Duran for Luis Castillo and prospect and use that saved money to get a decent 5th starter until K. Anderson, Cijntje or R Sloan arrive? One way or another, the club need to make at least one trade to get the bullpen help and /or bat that they need.
Every year he played in Seattle Suarez hit 29-32 HRs with a 3-4 WAR. He can hit in Seattle and has more in him
After watching the Playoffs and hus 2nd half with Us..US… I’d pass and I’m even for trading Arozarena also
I can’t imagine a world where signing Suarez is a good idea. As good a clubhouse presence as he is, he can’t hit in Seattle, only in the hot air of Arizona. The team needs 7 productive, can’t-pitch-around-them hitters to win, which means if Young and Williamson/Emerson are the kids, then the holes are at SS, RF, and DH. Do with that information what you will.
I like your seven productive hitters theory.. If the M’s sign Polanco I still think they will only have 5-6. productive hitters, need to make a trade for at least one more bat.
That would be 5, with Polanco at mostly DH. If Young and Williamson/Emerson are regulars, that would mean there are still holes at SS and RF. Robles might have been a half-season fluke, Canzone a two-month fluke, and Raley’s never gotten there to date. JP has slowed a step (plus this is his walk year). I’d love to see them get Steven Kwan, but I don’t see how the M’s match up with the Guardians (both need the same things), unless they’d trade a year of Kwan for Montes. Maybe trade catchers as well: Naylor for Ford and Crawford.
Stephen Kwan has 2 years of club control remaining.
2years of Kwan isn’t worth Montes that’d be a No
I forget who said it, but a prospect is a suspect until he proves it. Kwan is proven. I’d do this trade in minute.
Go back and look at more than just last year when considering Polanco. Also keep in mind that he’s a negative if you play him in the field. Is he really where you want Seattle spending their payroll?
Id rather upgrade the outfield and move on frome canzone/raley/robles. There are enough internal options for 2b/3b and if you need to pick someone up in a trade later, so be it.
I understand that sentiment. One thing to keep in mind is that both Robles and Raley were injured last year. Assuming they are healthy, I’m comfortable moving forward with them as the RF platoon as long as a consistent bat gets brought into the infield.
Ive got alot more faith in our RF options than our 3b options
They need a power-bat to DH and a utility player, like Andujar.
There’s no reason to move on from Canzone and Robles, especially given what Canzone did in the regular season and the fact that Robles was injured all year. If he’s healthy and shows that same, compact seeing we saw in 2024, he would be a star again.
Nice piece Darragh.
Canzone look lost in RF, stunk it up in the playoffs.
They can have Jeff McNeil if they want
I don’t think the M’s will bring back Polanco or Suarez. Too many cheaper internal options (especially at 2nd). I think they go Cole Young and Ryan Bliss at 2nd to start the year. 3rd base could be a surprise with Jerry pulling off a trade. Williamson is nice insurance at 3rd, but shouldn’t be plan A. Emerson starts in the minors.
Give Samad Taylor some regular ABs. He’s shown what he can do in the minors here and with Omaha. Speed and ability to play several positions along with some pop in the bat. He’s out of options so let’s see if he can help the team right off.
Getting Donovan and Contreras would be perfect. Maybe a 3 team trade so we can make Harry ford part of the deal.
Then youd have cal and Contreras as your C/DH’s and like the article said….Donovan wherever he’s needed ie 2b/3b/Rf
Iván Herrera is a Cardinal that makes a lot more sense.
Seattle could use remero too for the pen. I could see them pairing up on a trade for donovan and remero, and Contreras or herrera. Does Seattle have good young pitching in double a or triple a?
Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan have top of the rotation potential once they’re ready. The only other young pitching is Evans & Cejente who have #4 talent at best. With Gilbert & Kirby soon to leave, they don’t want to trade their top pitching prospects, likely only the next tier down.
Cijinje has plus stuff from the RH side. Where in the world do you get #4 stuff? The guy made it to AA his first professional season.
His stuff from the right side is good. I’m hoping they drop the LH switch pitching experiment and let him rip from the right side.
Impressive he’s competent from the left side but I don’t think that is going to help his overall development. Pitching mechanics are tough enough to master from one side.
Upside projections that baseball insiders have said. They also qualify the same thing, that he’s not ready & needs more seasoning. Lastly they always say “barring injury”. So yes, they’ve said “#4 ceiling” is their assessment.
Mariners need to keep Ford and back Cal down to catching 100games a Year, so internally they have a DH for 60games a Year.. I’m not opposed to a Donovan Deal if you can get him for a YOUNG, EVANS, and Maybe FARMELO trade….
I don’t think I’d want to give up those 3 for Donovan
Anything that helps the Mariners make contact with the ball more often, plus good fielding, along with another arm or two in the bullpen, all of that would be satisfying for me.
What and I Don’t Know.
Lets get B. Lowe tho. And add polanco
I think the Cubs are a good trade partner for 2B. They can send Nico Hoerner and a minor league arm (Wicks or Brown) for Woo and a long term wild card or two. A far better pickup for a title contender than Donovan. Willi Castro is a nice utility player who underperformed terribly with the Cubs who is a good fit if they need a true utility bench guy. For some reason the Cubs are enamored with Bregman and this means someone else, Shaw, must man 2B. I’m a Cubs fan and think they need to actually get better where they can if they hope to win a championship. You need upgrade not tinker. Mariners too.
you are very clearly a Cubs fan
Woo isn’t being traded and certainly not for one year of Nico F Hoerner!
Woo isn’t going ANYWHERE… Stay in the CUBS feed please
The Mariners are not trading Bryan Woo,, an All-Star this year under club control for at least three more years for Nico Hoerner and a minor league pitcher. .
Woo has four more years of club control. Why say “at least three years” when you could take 12 seconds to look it up?
Who are you to judge others? I was not precise but I also was not wrong. What is wrong with you? Why go out of your way to degrade others?
nobody degraded your lazy self.
There you go again, just looking to put other people down. Make you feel good? Be better to other people.
Judge? He stole the MVP from Cal.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
My guess – they let the kids battle it out in spring for the infield spots, and no pitchers will be dealt.
Go get Bo. Move JP to 3rd base. Resign Polanco.
Why would you want to give a 5+ year deal to basically a 2B and move a SS to 3B? The depth coming up in the system (even if a few are busts) will more than provide infielders for the future. There’s Kyle Tucker, then the rest of FA is all about positional fit beyond that for the Mariners. They need a utility guy for 1-2 years and should spend a good chunk on a back-end reliever.
Weather it be Tucker or Bichette, they’ll have to overspend on either. I’d rather have Bo long term.
Jps could barely get the ball from short to 1st last year(usually bouncing it 3/4 way).
Now you want to have him make that throw from 3rd?
Jp needs to be moved to 2nd where his noodle arm plays.
Bo should also play 2nd
Polanco would be a great add if he is healthy enough to play 3rd but we have enough 2b imo
I’ve long thought an extension and move to second would be great for JP and the Mariners, but I wanted to note that players are taught to bounce the ball to first in certain situations (and I know that doesn’t explain/excuse some of them).
I thought that was going to be the plan with jp too but now pretty much all their top prospects are middle infielders. Young, Bliss, Rivas, arroyo, peete, Emerson, Williamson, celestein.
All of them are unproven and some are probably better off in a utility role. Peete isn’t even playing the infield anymore.
Seattle isn’t a team that’s so cheap they can’t afford extensions for their leaders and core members. I’d be shocked if they let JP walk or trade him.
It’s different now. I love JP, but this is likely his last year in Seattle. He’ll get better playing time elsewhere next year. Previously we’ve needed veteran leadership and playoff experience in the clubhouse. Now we have plenty locked up for 3-10 years between Cal, Julio, Naylor, Kirby, Woo, Munoz….
I do think you’ll see a lot of JP this year but Emerson, Young, and Williamson all seem poised to take the next step forward this year. They’re already sufficient bench players or bottom of the lineup guys. If one becomes a 3-4 WAR player you then have a Bo/JP level player for a fraction of the cost. Something has to give this year though where these prospects get playing time or traded for someone even better.
I don’t think you realize how valuable he is beyond the fielding and hitting.
He’s the main leader of the team. He has to perform, but he’s not a player you move on from if he’s productive simply because there are younger, cheaper options who may end up being good.
And it’s not like they can’t keep players like Young in reserve. He has all his options.
Mariners should be all in, the division is weak and they are stacked. Now is the time to open the wallets and build on that team and finally get past the hump
I say swing for the fences (literally) and go after schwarber. Has a top 10 average length of homeruns and walk plenty. Would be great leadoff hitter or move him anywhere in top 3. If 2026 isn’t ur year to spend big, I don’t know when that will be that way again for the Mariners. Sign willy castro to a 1 year deal and if emerson is ready by mid May, have him take over 3b and keep castro at utility. I believe in cole young and it’s too early to count him out at 2b. This lineup would be something else if u are trotting out: schwarber, Julio, Raleigh, naylor, randy, castro, young, robles, Crawford. The first 3 hitters would be NIGHTMARES to sneak fastballs past em on a nightly basis.
Too much swing and miss. If they wanted someone that is going to strike out 33% of the time they would keep Geno. Geno provides more position flexibility and defense. Polanco, is the ideal. He can DH, play a little infield gives the team more contact AB’s and doesn’t break the bank.
They don’t likely have the dough to do that, but I agree that they should be focused on a DH and utility player on the position player side.
They really need a leverage arm or two as well. Trades will almost certainly be needed to address some of the needs.
Trade Gabe Speier , that’s it just trade speier. Can’t stand him
Speier had a really good year in 2025.
Look it up.
That would both, block all your prospects who can’t handle 3b, and leave no room for 2 of your 3 RFers. Also would be a defensive downgrade wherever they play.
Be much better imo to add versatile infield defenders like Donovan, Castro, andujar, kim, chisholm etc
Michael Arroyo to Left Field? SodoMojo is suggesting that, which feels like the right direction to optimize his career prospects.. If he can get a 360 OBP with some pop, the bat will play.