Offseason Outlook: Seattle Mariners

The Mariners fell well short of expectations in 2026. The goal will be to get back on track in 2027. They will need their core players to have bounceback campaigns but they should also be able to make moves with money to spend and pitching to trade. Guaranteed Contracts Julio Rodríguez, CF: $144MM through 2034 (includes multi-year club/player/mutual option structure after 2028) Colt Emerson, SS: $86MM through 2033 (includes 2034 club option) Cal Raleigh, C: $81MM through 2030 (deal includes 2031 vesting option) Josh Naylor, 1B: $76MM through 2030 Seranthony Domínguez, RHP: $12MM through 2027 (includes $2MM buyout on 2028 mutual option) Option Decisions Andrés Muñoz, RHP: $9MM club option with no buyout Víctor Robles, OF: $9MM club option with $500K buyout Bryce Miller, RHP: $6.075MM club option with $15K buyout (Miller can be retained via arbitration even if option is turned down) 2027 financial commitments (assuming Muñoz option is picked up): $69.515MM Total future commitments (assuming Muñoz option is picked up): $408.515MM Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; salary projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) Logan Gilbert (5.144): $15.4MM Brendan Donovan (5.000): $6.1MM Gabe Speier (5.000): $3.3MM George Kirby (4.151): $9.8MM Patrick Wisdom (4.135): $1.1MM Matt Brash (4.121): $1.8MM Luke Raley (4.106): $3.1MM Bryce Miller (3.153): $3.9MM (Mariners hold a $6.075MM option with $15K buyout) Bryan Woo (3.121): $5.2MM Eduard Bazardo (3.118): $1.5MM Jose A. Ferrer (3.094): $1.6MM Michael Rucker (3.069): $800K Dominic Canzone (3.014): $3MM Cooper Criswell (2.143): $900K Carlos Vargas (2.140): $800K Non-tender candidates: Wisdom, Rucker, Criswell Free Agents Randy Arozarena, Taylor Ward, J.P. Crawford, Hoby Milner, Connor Joe (eligible for minor league free agency), Miles Mastrobuoni (eligible for minor league free agency), Stuart Fairchild (eligible for minor league free agency), Jhonathan Diaz (eligible for minor league free agency) The Mariners were arguably the most disappointing club in 2026. They weren’t the worst team in the league but the expectations were sky high. They came within a hair of making the World Series in 2025. They came into 2026 as one of the favorites in the American League. But almost nothing went right and they dropped out of contention, falling short of .500 to boot. The results were frustrating enough in a vacuum but what makes it even more maddening is that they had a wide open lane. Every other club in the AL West also struggled. The Mariners had a chance to cruise into the playoffs. Even mustering 82 wins would have got them there but they could only come up with 76. Some changes will certainly be made going into next year. Manager Dan Wilson won’t be returning. That won’t be the only move on the coaching side of things. Bench coach Manny Acta, infield coach Perry Hill, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and first base coach Eric Young Jr. will all be replaced as well. It appears that the front office will have continuity, as owner John Stanton publicly voiced his support for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. On the roster, many of the club’s core players had down seasons and will need to bounce back. Nine different Seattle players made at least 160 plate appearances in 2026. Only two of them posted a wRC+ higher than 106. One of those, Randy Arozarena is heading to free agency. The other is Dominic Canzone. Cal Raleigh is one of the key players who needs to step up. He almost won MVP honors in 2025 but ended 2026 with a .182 batting average and 95 wRC+. Most of his struggles were earlier in the year as he battled an oblique injury and he at least finished strong. The batting average was still low but he slashed .196/.324/.435 for a 120 wRC+ after the All-Star break thanks to 14 home runs and a 14.8% walk rate. Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor also disappointed. Rodríguez hit ten fewer home runs than the year before as his wRC+ dropped from 126 to 104. Naylor’s home run output was cut in half, going from 20 to 10, as his wRC+ went from 128 to 95. It wouldn’t really be accurate to classify Colt Emerson as a bounceback candidate because he hasn’t yet had major league success, but he’s in a somewhat similar boat. One of the top prospects in baseball coming into the year, he signed a big extension before he was even called up. Once in the big leagues, he struggled. His 6.2% walk rate and 34.4% strikeout rate were both awful figures. He hit .190/.246/.335. It was later revealed that Emerson had been playing through a wrist injury that eventually required surgery. That perhaps provides an explanation for why his results were so far from expectations. From 2023 to 2025, his minor league work resulted in a 13.1% walk rate, 17.4% strikeout rate, .287/.398/.442 line and 132 wRC+. Ideally, his wrist issue will be resolved going into next year and his performance will significantly improve. For now, he’s unproven and part of a larger infield picture that is mostly fuzzy. J.P. Crawford is headed to free agency. Emerson’s debut was rough. Naylor fell short of where the Mariners hoped he would be. Brendan Donovan played well when healthy but injuries limited him to just 39 games. Cole Young had a real mixed bag at second base. Defensive Runs Saved thought he was one of the better defenders at the position but Outs Above Average considered him one of the worst. With the bat, he popped 17 home runs but with a lackluster 6.9% walk rate, leading to roughly league average offense on the whole. Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco. Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. Remove ads and support our writers. Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker