The Mariners recently signed a record extension with infield prospect Colt Emerson. President of Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media in the wake of that deal. Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Dipoto said that J.P. Crawford will remain the club’s shortstop this year. If Emerson is recalled to the active roster at some point, he will likely play third base, which will bump Brendan Donovan into a utility role.
Though the Mariners signed Emerson to that long-term deal, they immediately optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma. That’s an unprecedented sequence of events but it also has some logic to it. Emerson is 20 years old and only has ten Triple-A games under his belt so far. The Mariners clearly believe in his long-term future but he is still a prospect and they will have to make the choices that they feel are in the best interest of his development.
They also have a fairly crowded infield at the moment. Crawford started the season in the injured list due to some shoulder inflammation but he was reinstated today. Fellow infielder Ryan Bliss was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma as the corresponding move. Crawford will retake his shortstop position with Cole Young at second and Donovan at third.
Perhaps Emerson will force his way onto the roster at some point via his bat, since his offense is his true calling card. He went from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A last year, slashing .285/.383/.458 along the way. His 11.8% walk rate and 17.5% strikeout rate were both a few ticks better than average and he hit 16 home runs, despite being very young for each level.
His defense has generally been considered a bit behind his offense. He has made strides in recent years and many evaluators think he has a chance to be a serviceable shortstop, but it’s understandable that the Mariners would opt for Crawford for now. Crawford’s defensive reviews are mixed, with Outs Above Average putting him at minus-29 for his career while he’s been credited with five Defensive Runs Saved. Despite that imbalance, he has almost 8,000 big league innings at the position, while Emerson has none and is questionable at the spot for now.
Crawford is slated for free agency after 2026, so perhaps Emerson will get a crack at the shortstop job next year. That is perhaps another reason to keep him in Triple-A for now, as he will have greater ability to continue getting reps at shortstop in the minors. His third base experience is also still fairly limited, so he’ll need to keep working at that spot as well, if that’s his current path to a big league job.
As for Donovan, his potential move is another illustration of why he was such a perfect fit for the Mariners this offseason. His versatility means that he can be moved around the diamond depending on what happens with other guys. Young only hit .211/.302/.305 last year and therefore wasn’t a sure thing at second base, while Emerson seemingly had some small chance to break camp at third.
Young went on to hit .281/.349/.667 in spring and seize the job at the keystone. He has carried that over in the season so far, as he’s currently sporting a .320/.346/.520 line. That pushed Donovan to third base for now, though his outfield experience means Emerson could push him to the grass at some point. That could take playing time away from the Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder, Víctor Robles group, depending on how things go between now and then.
Dipoto also expressed broad openness to doing more extensions. “I can’t tell you that there’s any likelihood we’ll get anything else done in this season, but it won’t be because we’re not interested,” Dipoto said, per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “It’s always an open door.” It was recently reported that the Mariners have broached the subject of contract extensions with both Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo, though it doesn’t appear the club got close to an agreement with either pitcher.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images
Emerson was a questionable defensive shortstop for the first 4 months last year, but the last few weeks of 2025 and spring training 2026 have made it clear he will be a plus shortstop defensively, average at the absolute worst for his first few years in the bigs
The lefties of that OF group are hitting, the righties are 2 for 18. Donovan hits everyone and may supplant one of Robles/Refsnyder when Emerson eventually gets the call
Who is most likely to be the M’s long-term SS of the future when Crawford is gone:
-Emerson
-Young
-Celesten
-Someone from outside of the org.
I’m not sure Emerson will have the range for SS and I’m not sure Young has the arm. I’m not sure Celesten will be an all-around good enough player to be an everyday MLBer. Are they planning on it being Emerson? Can they keep both Young and Arroyo?
Emerson. Celesten is years away if he makes it at all. Young doesn’t have the defense that Emerson has.
I would have preferred for Crawford to get some more plate appearances before being reinstated. He only got 18 early in spring training and 5 in AAA this week. He’s a vet though so hopefully there’s no rust.
I also don’t understand the need to push Emerson after the extension. He’s been good but hasn’t dominated the minors or had much experience in AA or AAA. Being young for the level is a good indicator but it’s no guarantee. Kelenic was young as well and he seemed to get worse as he got older (although Colt seems a lot more mature now than Kelenic ever did).
I think the Mariners should’ve brought up the outfielder Brennan
Davis who has been injured through the years and is now healthy. He had a very good spring. He deserved a shot at the major league level. RefSnyder ain’t doing it.
Refsynder had a 131 and 133 OPS+ the last 2 years and signed a $6M contract for 2026.
He starts the season 0 for 8 and he should be benched or cut? Bit of overreaction maybe?
He’s injured. Missed the last week or two of ST and is on the IL
Letting Emerson develop in Triple-A is a smart move. They’ll know when the time is right to bring him up to MLB. Once he is in the MLB, he’ll be there to stay and produce. Very happy for the young man Emerson. Keep working hard and your day will be here sooner rather than later! Excellent signing!
I haven’t seen anything lately about Celesten. Last I heard they thought he might get too big for SS then went on to talk about big SS’s. I take that back. I saw something talking about his immaturity and that has pushed him back a bit.
I don’t know I might have given him a death penalty. I bought a bunch of his autograph cards. I did the same with Hancock a couple years ago. I might be biased but I see more good than bad in Hancock. He has had some really good games the last 2 years and some really bad.
He looked good the other day. I wonder how he would have done and how far he would have gone after a few starts? If he could have kept his no hitter all game. He didn’t look to be faltering but understood taking him out. Can’t push them too far his first start. The BP might be a great move for him. Keep him stretched out for long relief and pitch him once a month to give the guys an extra day off.
Celesten’s issue is that he cannot stay healthy. The talent is there, when he’s able to play.
I hope this works out for Emerson and the Mariners both. Who remembers Evan White?