Cole Young’s Gold Glove season at second base changes the conversation for the Mariners, and it opens the door to a question that would have sounded a lot stranger not long ago: should Seattle call Jazz Chisholm Jr. about third base?
Young just won an AL Gold Glove at second and added 17 home runs, which puts the Mariners in a new kind of offseason spot. They can actually spend time thinking about how to build around their guy at the keystone. For a club that finished with the third-fewest runs in baseball, the idea of adding Chisholm on a short deal is at least worth a real look.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that executives were wondering whether Chisholm would get more than two years and raised the possibility of putting an opt-out on the second year that would let him test the market again. The Yankees also passed on making him a qualifying offer, which means Seattle could sign him without giving up a draft pick.
Even so, the price could climb if enough teams see the same opening. The Mariners should at least find out what it would take for a player who finished the season with a .231/.312/.399 slash line.
The fit gets interesting because Chisholm has already spent time at third. He played 45 regular-season games there for the Yankees in 2024 and 29 more in 2025.
He has said second base feels more natural to him and thought he was done at third before Aaron Boone asked him to move back. He agreed, then homered in his first game back from the IL to put his team ahead.
That’s enough to make Seattle ask the question, even if a full season there while rebuilding his market is a different ask than a temporary move for Boone.
Brendan Donovan is part of the equation too. He opened last season as Seattle’s everyday third baseman and has plenty of experience in the corner outfield.
If Chisholm handles third and Donovan gets regular work in left, the Mariners could keep both bats in the lineup while still giving Donovan chances on the dirt. But the fit gets murkier if Seattle already has a better answer in left.
If the Mariners were to sign Seiya Suzuki, then paying for Chisholm would mean taking at-bats away from Donovan. The front office needs to know who gets squeezed before it makes the move.
Even then, the conversation is still worth having.
Teruaki Sato was another name that seemed easy to picture in Seattle. The Mariners could have used the reigning Central League Triple Crown winner in a corner outfield spot and kept Donovan at third. But according to Seattle Times reporting from the GM meetings, the Mariners are not expected to pursue Sato.
There is also a version of this where Chisholm stays at the position he prefers. If Colt Emerson needs more time in Tacoma, Young could move to shortstop and Chisholm could take second.
Young has experience at both spots, and that possibility is good enough to warrant some reps in camp. Over the course of a long season, that flexibility could matter.
Still, Seattle would want to keep that idea in reserve. If Emerson struggles in May, the Mariners could give him time to work through it.
If he needs a longer stay in Tacoma and Young proves he can handle the throws from deep in the hole, then the switch becomes more realistic. A Gold Glove at second tells you what Seattle would be giving up there, so the club would need to see what Young can do at short before leaning on that plan for months.
If the concern is shortstop security in 2027, Dubón offers a cleaner path. He opened 2026 as Atlanta’s starter there, played third and the outfield too, and won his third utility Gold Glove.
He also bats right-handed, which gives Seattle another way to shape the lineup around Young, Emerson and Donovan. If Emerson needs time, Dubón can handle short and Young can stay at second.
If Emerson seizes the job, Dubón can move around the diamond.
That would be the safer choice if Seattle wants to spend money on insurance at shortstop. But it still leaves the bigger issue: where do the runs come from?
Chisholm’s 2025 line included 31 homers and 31 steals, then dropped to 19 homers and 41 steals with a .711 OPS in 2026. The Mariners would be betting on the power coming back while still getting enough speed to matter.
After the season they just had, that kind of upside is hard to ignore.
So the call should be made. Ask Chisholm about third, figure out how Donovan fits, and see what a short deal with an opt-out would cost.
If Chisholm wants second base from the start, Dubón looks like the better shortstop cover and Young stays put at the spot where he won his Gold Glove. If Chisholm is willing to play third and the price makes sense, Seattle should be ready to move.
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