After re-signing Josh Naylor, the next step on the Mariners’ to-do list is a reunion with Jorge Polanco, with the intent of utilizing the veteran infielder as a second baseman and part-time DH. Seattle has also been linked to such second base trade targets as Brendan Donovan and old friend Ketel Marte, though the focus on the keystone is noteworthy. When it comes to checking in at the hot corner, the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude hears from sources that “the Mariners…are not active in the third-base market.”
While Eugenio Suarez is another ex-Mariner that remains on the team’s radar, Suarez seems to be the backup plan if Polanco doesn’t re-sign, and Jude writes that the M’s would utilize Suarez just as a part-time third baseman if the slugger ends up back in the Pacific Northwest. That decision seems logical, as Suarez’s public defensive metrics were subpar (-6 Defensive Runs Saved, -3 Outs Above Average) in 2025, as the Mariners have better fielders within the team’s collection of young infield talent.
This internal group is the reason why the M’s seem content to more or less stand pat at third base. Ben Williamson’s bat is a work in progress at best, but Williamson has a solid glove and can at least hold his own as a defender. Top prospect Colt Emerson has only six Triple-A games under his belt, but he’ll be a factor at some point for the Mariners in 2026, potentially as soon as Opening Day. Cole Young is another highly-regarded prospect who mostly played second base in his 2025 rookie season, and would presumably remain in a timeshare with Polanco and play second on the days when Polanco is a designated hitter.
The situation could be altered a bit if the Mariners acquired Donovan, a multi-positional player who could chip in at third base if necessary. But overall, Seattle is confident that its up-and-coming youngsters can help the team in 2026, so even while the M’s are in win-now mode, they aren’t looking to bring in too much veteran depth to block the internal options.
Jude adds the interesting detail that Scott Boras, Alex Bregman’s agent, “initiated discussions with the Mariners to express Bregman’s willingness to consider Seattle as a destination.” This isn’t an uncommon practice in baseball business, as agents routinely seek out any possible suitors that might be a fit for their clients. It doesn’t appear as though the M’s did much or anything to reciprocate this interest, both due to the Mariners’ in-house third basemen and likely Bregman’s expected price tag.
The fact that Alex Bregman in a Seattle Mariners uniform almost made me sick.
I think they trust Colt Emerson to play 3rd base.
My dad is a Mariners fan and he had the same sickening feeling
I like that the Mariners are willing to trust their system.
Alex Bregman is one of the few non-SPs out there who can single-handedly shift the outcome of a playoff series. But that time is waning and Emerson will be better than him within a couple years. Would have loved him in Seattle on last years contract. But not on anything longer than a year or two now.
He’s getting 6 or 7 years
He was last year too….
6 7!!!!!!!!!
But also, yes. Too elite of a bat and leader for much less.
6 7 ???????
cnn.com/2025/10/18/us/6-7-meme-slang-explained-cec
Fart noise
In an MLB uniform period.
Boras is only trying to expand Bergmans market. Feel safe he is not going there.
Bergman? Who is Bergman?
I only know Bregman
Christian Bergman, one of the many dozens of pitchers to take the bump for the Mariners in 2017.
Not to mention Seattle fans hate bregman,Correa, etc
Springer…Altuve…
Every Astro ever..
And we REALLY REALLY hate Springer now; after his Mr. October homerun against us that sealed the deal. Thanks a lot SPRINGER; I almost forgave you for your sins until you pulled that stunt ya twerp.
Ol Georgie’s knee wasn’t injured as bad as we figured after getting drilled. He muscled up and crushed it. Then again, Bazardo left it middle in to spin on…
I have to give Springer a lot of credit though, I thought he was cooked after the 2024 season. Like running on fumes. Impressive come back from the dead trick for sure.
Emerson and WIlliamson are simply not ready. They must have another short-term alternative lined up.
So you are talking about a stopgap?
I certainly want to see us add a quality bat but Williamson did put up 1.3 WAR in a partial season. You can win with that kind of young player in the bottom third of your lineup while seeing if they improve.
You might think Williamson is not the answer to be the everyday 3B but to say he’s not ready is incorrect. You typically don’t need multiple seasons at AAA to become ready. Williamson get ok when he came up and after being sent back down and working on things he had has best strech as a pro the last couple months in AAA and even started to display power for the first time. He doesn’t need anymore minors to become ready but you can argue that hes not the full time answer.
I do not think Williamson is a good starting 3B. If he is, then I am happy because Seattle is easier to beat. However, it’s just not true.
My point was that it isn’t because he’s not ready. Emerson started the season at A+ and moved up to AAA where he just played the final week so to say hes not ready, ok. M’s will see what he does in Spring training and if he needs to prove more in AAA before promotion then that makes sense. Williams played most of 2024 in AA and all of 2025 in AAA or MLB. He might not be good enough but I don’t think it would be because he needs more time in the minors.
Based on his bat or glove?
His bat is below average but has some indications of improving to productive. However his glove has been rated as next level by any measure available.
Williamson made monster mouth dropping plays at 3B. He’s ready. BUT he should not be in the same lineup as Young. Williamson is a platoon 3B guy. If Seattle picked up Suarez again I see a 50/50 split at 3B with Williamson, and Suarez DHing when pitching matchups are favorable for Williamson. And then late inning defensive replacement
drfelix, teams don’t platoon RHHs with RHHs and Geno isn’t a poor defender that would need a defensive replacement in late innings. Geno isn’t signing as a DH. He’ll get paid to play third, wherever he goes. He’s one of just two solid third basemen on the market.
It’s easy to see Rivas getting the initial job at second if Young needs more minor-league seasoning, but it isn’t a problem have two young, less-experienced bats in the lineup in April/May. They just need to ensure they have a strong top and middle-order.
If you don’t have a strong start, you can fall to your division rivals. The AL West is better than 2024 so if you start off 12-24 I doubt you can get back.
I don’t think even the most pessimistic Mariner fans are worried about a 12-24 start.
And the floor is high at third without additions because of the defense.
It’s funny to me that so much is made of second and third. They have plenty of internal options, they just need a utility player for insurance.
DH is their biggest need in the lineup.
What about 19-31 start?
Agree with your assessment. Glove is solid, bat is not. From the many games I watched with him in last year, I saw potential, but not a bat that is ready for MLB pitching. Defensive WAR in Seattle, I also find a bit skewed with the solid pitching and less chances at errors/bad plays.
Williamson was fantastic at third base when he was there. It would be great if his hitting improved.
It looks like the plan might be to see if Ben or one of those other youngsters can emerge to seize a starting job at second and/or third. If necessary, there’s the possibility of a midseason trade.
Through 85 games, Cal Raleigh was a sub .200, negative WAR player barely starting to access his power. These things take time. Between Emerson and Williamson, the Mariners have 2x potential for a 3-4 WAR player at 3B basically for free. If both bust or Emerson is needed elsewhere, the trade deadline exists.
But…. Cal Raleigh had major power in the minors.
Ben Williamson…. didn’t have any.
I think Williamson can make it, but he has a lot to prove with a bat in his hands. He’s not yet a guy you’d see as plan A on a team with playoff aspirations.
Bohm was the answer before you traded Ford
Haha. I’d take Williamson over Bohm if they were both on the exact same contract.
I wanna say bohm wasn’t gonna get them ford but he got a reliever so what do I know
Ferrer has significantly more value than Bohm. That’s the brutal truth for Phillies fans. There’s a reason they’ve wanted to trade him for years.
Hey dbdmack, FWIW, Williamson is absolutely ready defensively, I don’t think anyone would suggest otherwise, but over his 180 PAs after being optioned to AAA, he slashed .327/.417/.510 with a 12.8 K% and a 135 wRC+.
They should have insurance, such as Andujar, but Williamson is arguably ready for another shot.
Williamson has Brooks Robinson-esque defensive skills at third base. ELITE ELITE then maybe at the deadline we pick up somebody.
Is he a light bat, super defense style guy?
Did you just hatch out of an egg a month ago?
No need for grumpy responses, especially since most Mariner fans don’t know the answer to that.
Williamson was hitting the ball hard enough, but chased a lot and missed the barrel. He may have made the right adjustments in Tacoma after the deadline. Something to look for in spring.
Bregman in a Mariners uniform would not seem right to me either. It sounds like they are waiting for both Polanco to decide on a two year offer from the Mariners or a three year offer from the Pirates, and there could be more teams involved, but it also sounds like they are waiting for the Cardinals to be ready to sit down and discuss Brendan Donovan as the cardinals have had quite a few changes in their front office, etc. It sounds like the Mariners feel like they can get one but won’t be able to get both? If that is true then if you get one of them ( I would rather try and get Donovan even though he will cost prospects) and why not also get someone like Miguel Andujar? He is a free agent, can play 3B, 1B, OF and DH. He is a solid hitter, has a good eye, puts the ball in play and should not cost much. He is only 30 years old and he hit .318 last year between the A’s and the Reds…He is injury prone but I think he is worth a look as a second bat that helps this line up.
As a Mariners fan, do NOT sign Bregman.
I think the opinion is the same on both sides. I haven’t seen other Astros fans but I would get sick if Bregman arrived in teel. Same as you don’t want Bregman on your team.
There’s many reasons why we don’t want Bregman. I’ll bet you can guess the number one reason.
Cheating scandal
You sir are 100 percent correct.
Guess what’s my least favorite team
Wow and I thought the Dodgers fans were allergic to Astros players lol.
Apparently we aren’t alone.
Dodgers Nation, you do not hate the Astros. You do not know what hate is.
You got to play them in the NL while they went on a loooong tanking run. They tanked themselves into a behemoth and switched leagues, and put the AL West under their thumb for almost a decade. You’re mildly miffed about one series.
And, not satisfied with having essentially invented the tanking exploit, they also had to cheat, which happened in far more games involving Seattle than it did involving LA. They were *so* *good* but *still* had to try and cheat.
Fire the Astros into the sun, close the HoF doors to them, salt the ground in Houston.
One world series.
Cry elsewhere about not having one more World Series win.
So you’d rather the Astros have it?
Technically their cheating cost the Dodgers the Boston World Series, too, since Alex Cora was the Architect of the Cheating Scheme for the Astros AND the Red Sox.
Trust me we will never forget. We MF’d Springer so hard in the ALCS his manager whined about it in the press.
We have a long memory for that kind of stuff in Seattle. Their cheating cost Felix a shot at the playoffs, people jobs and so much more. Then the lack of remorse or consequences added fuel to the fire.
I actually blame the lack of run support and AA lineups that were run out during the King’s time. If he had support, he’d have 200 wins…
Are you kidding?
Mariners ownership’s frugality during his entire career is what kept Felix Hernandez out of the postseason!
We went 5-14 against the Astros in 17, the year they cheated, and missed the playoffs by 7 games. Flip the record and we’re in the playoffs. It’s a very reasonable argument.
I’m as frustrated as any fan with our lack of spending, commitment to winning and overall performance for those 20 plus years but that doesn’t mean playing unfair games didn’t factor into that season’s failure.
Jerry Dipoto just won Baseball America’s Executive of the Year Award. Pretty cool! Go Jerry ! CONGRATS Jerry
I’d prefer if the M’s gave Emerson more time. He’s been good in the minors but his numbers aren’t eye-popping or anything. He’s only played 15 games at 3B as well. As for Williamson, I’m very skeptical about his bat. I don’t see him ever being more than a utility player.
Not interested in Bregman and not active in 3B market are not the same thing. Boras just upset Seattle ignored them
Go get Donovan and pay the fare.
On average, how many balls are hit to 3rd base each game?
Before they banned the shift, it became painfully obvious, most “MLB players” don’t actually play basebal, they play hr derby and have zero bat control. It’s not like they can deliberately hit the ball to third base very well…..
Interesting question. Per Google they get 2.5 to 3 fielding opportunities per game.
We saw the impact of horrible defense at 3B when we started 25 with Polanco there. It was ugly and cost a few games.
I agree hitting the inside of the baseball is a lost art but since most batters swinging for the fences are pull happy and most batters are right handed having good defense on the left side is a good strategy.
Other big point with Williamsons defense is it requires less range from JP and/or Emerson at SS who are either losing a step or learning the ropes. So it really can impact the whole infield.
“On average, how many balls are hit to 3rd base each game?”
Last year 3B had 12382 opportunities (PO, AST, E) in 43075 innings
That’s 2.6 per 9 innings
Last year, the best defensive 2B, Ke’Bryan Hayes, was worth 17 more runs than average. The worst was Joan Moncada at -9. So, the difference between the best and worst defender is around 30 runs.
Based on your analysis, I’d say around 25 runs.
If this means theyre banking on Williamson its the worst news ive heard all offseason. 3b is IMHO the mariners biggest hole. 2b has Young, Rivas, Bliss as options. 3b has Williamson (who has been a worse hitter than all 3 2b options) and then no one else.
Positive take on this: The m’s do seem to be looking at guys who can play 3rd even if they aren’t “third baseman” ie polanco, Donovan. Which i think is the best option anyway. I also like hasoeng kim and andujar
Ben Williamson’s batting stats are better than Edgar Martinez’s first three years. Edgar was two years older than Williamson when “he was ready”. Of course, we know Edgar was never as good a defender as Williamson and had to play DH most of his career after he learned to hit.
1. Edgar had one year in his first five that was nominally as bad with the bat as Williamson’s (in 195 at bats for Edgar vs 295 for Williamson). His third. The four other years were all above average.
2. Williamson has a track record of no power in the minors, he was a 4th-year draftee because he didn’t hit in his first 3 years in college, He’s always been a fun, longshot upside guy whose 75th percentile outcome was to be an infield corner utility guy. (He’s just about there: but needs to get to ~90th percentile to be a “first-division” regular 3b.
3. Edgar, himself, found his 98th percentile hitter development after making the majors. You can’t plan for a development path like that.
“Let’s not greatly improve our team in a championship window because of a grudge.”
– Mariners Fans
There are other options that don’t piss off your entire fan base.
-Dodgers
“We make everything about the Dodgers, who aren’t even a part of the article.”
– Dodgers Frontrunners
I was actually making it about the fans. I had no idea how much hate you guys had for the Astros.
And I will almost always negatively comment on an Astros player from that year.
Setting aside the fact that we hate him, it’s also easy knowing there is no world in which the Mariners sign a contract the likes of which Bregman will get. The org does not make those types of FA signings.
You guys kicked butt this year. I really enjoyed watching this postseason. Overall the competition was amazing in every round.
I hope the Mariners get back to the playoffs and step on the neck of the Astros to get there.
We, the fans, hate Bregman with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, so no. No thanks. Which sucks, because he’s awesome. There’s just no overcoming the cognitive dissonance we would experience.
We don’t need studs at both second and third: so long as they get somebody scary at one position, they can give youngsters some playing time at the other.
You have to enjoy Boras “my client is open to the idea of taking your money”
He gonna write a story about anyyone not actively pursuing something? Im actively not pursuing a career as an astronaut but ill let the writer know if anything changes
I miss when Nintendo owned the team and they had Ichiro. Don’t they still have 10%? Go get Okamoto!
Nintendo stopped fully investing in the team for many years and it led to decades long playoff and division title droughts. I’m not sure if John Stanton will be much better, owners aren’t usually cool in general, but he is a Seattle area native and has invested heavily in this core over the years. If anybody is trying hard to bring a championship to Washington state, it’s him. They’ve extended JP, Julio, Cal, and Castillo, traded for Arozarena, and traded for then signed Naylor, etc. all under his watch. Not to mention they signed Robbie Ray immediately after he won a Cy Young. He’s not afraid to go get good players and keep the players who stay good in Seattle. He just doesn’t spend stupid money like the Mets do.
Well hoping they do something here. Kinda dumb to buy on Naylor and not follow up with getting someone at 3rd. They tasted the playoffs again, can’t slow down now.
I’m good with Cole young at 2nd colt Emerson at 3rd. Stay the course.
GoMs
He’s played a handful of games at 3B/2B coming up through the system, and some scouts think his defense at shortstop is below average too. Fangraphs gives his fielding a 40/50 FV on the 20-80 scale. The best time for him to get working at 3B is probably right now.
I think Williamson’s value as a hitter is tied to the whims of the BABIP gods. He’s a pesky at bat and makes a lot of contact but he doesn’t provide any of the thump like Emerson does, or have the natural OBP skills of JP. He’s a few unlucky bounces away from being a .210 hitter, and likely needs to be in a platoon. I wonder if the Mariners should try moving him around the diamond a little bit to help rest JP’s legs and possibly cover Young against tough LHPs sometimes. If he’s already a great defensive 3B then he should be a decent 2B/SS in a pinch as well, right? It’d be huge for making the active roster more flexible and allows them to pursue a legitimate bat at 3B or clear a runway for Emerson if he’s having a good spring.
Geno is streaky, but he did hit 49 homers and put out another 4 WAR season in totality so while I doubt the Mariners run it back due to whatever budget constraints they may have plus their typical avoidance of older players unless it’s for backup roles, he is still a very good player.
Ben Williamson got a hit in 25% of his AB’s. Cole Young got a hit in only 21% of his AB’s. There OPS is nearly identical. Williamson was worth 1.3 WAR and Young 0.5 WAR. Why is everyone on Williamson’s caze and not on Cole Young? Rookies will always struggle at the plate. Then they get better.
We’re all talking about the same stuff. he’ll get one of those spots eventually . I trust Dipoto. He’ll make the necessary moves
I’m fine promoting within and trading aging veterans as we move along. Adding pieces. DiPoto has created a fantastically talented and fun team to watch. Sounds like the clubhouse is a great too. So fun
I lose my mind sometimes thinking about blowing it out. But I’m truly a stay the course, in Dipoto I trust!
The idea that Ben Williamson isn’t ready is absurd. He might have the best 3B glove in MLB right now. He’s not going to win a ton of games for you at the plate, but with a slower JP Crawford, a great glove 3B is necessary. The team should really just concentrate on 2B, DH, and the bullpen. And maybe a stud RF if one became available.
Said it before: if you have 7 reasonably scary hitters out of 9, you have a great chance to get to the WS. Right now, the M’s have Arozarena, Rodriguez, Naylor, and Raleigh. Polanco or Donavan would make 5. JP and Williamson are your two non-scary hitters, that leaves RF and DH.
The Mariners can’t afford to have too many weak bats all over the place either. The bottom half of the lineup was absolutely atrocious in the playoffs. Right now they’re looking at below average hitting production from 2B/3B/DH. Adding some offense to either of those spots would be a huge help.
RF could go either way as well because Raley/Robles weren’t very consistent this year and both suffered injuries. Canzone might have had a breakthrough once he was able to play a lot more but even then his sample size isn’t quite big enough to really know for sure. He probably just got hot for the one summer and that’s it.
I don’t expect the Mariners to go stupid big on either position like signing Bregman or trading so many prospects for Marte’s declining years, but I do expect them to make solid moves. Could sign Okamoto, could bring back Polanco, could make a trade we haven’t thought up.
Not buying it. They’ve been in contact with the Phillies about Alec Bohm. I’d offer them Matt Strahm, Rafael Marchan (since they traded Ford) and Otto Kemp for Arozarena. That would save the M’s $12M to address other areas, filling their back up C and 3B vacancies, while adding another LHRP. Arozarena will be the RF in Philly, replacing Nick Castellanos – whom the Phillies should try to flip to the Dodgers for Tanner Scott or Red Sox lefty heavy lineup, for Jordan Hicks. They could attach prospects to Castellanos (or attach them to Taijuan Walker) and try to acquire Adley Rutschman and Tyler O’Niell from the O’s, Robert/Teel from the ChiSox or Sandy Alcantara from the Marlins. All of those teams could use a never injured, highly motivated Nick Castellanos and the wealth of PS experience he brings with him.