The World Series may not include the Mariners, but Seattle still has a clear footprint in this matchup between the Brewers and Rays. A handful of familiar names are scattered through the series, and a few of them have taken very different paths since their time in Seattle.
Jake Bauers is the headliner. The 1B/OF has gone from thinking about walking away from baseball a few years ago to winning the NLCS MVP award last week.
His link to the Mariners is brief but real, and it came in two separate stops. Back in 2018, he was part of the three-way Edwin Encarnacion/Yandy Díaz trade, moving from the Rays to the Guardians.
Then Seattle got him in June 2021, when he put together a rough .220/.297/.275 line with 2 home runs, a 67 wRC+ and 0.0 fWAR over that second half. The Mariners outrighted him off the 40-man roster after the season, and he later bounced through the Reds and Yankees before settling in with the Brewers in 2023.
In 2026, he’s hit .266/.389/.484 with 26 homers, a 143 wRC+ and 3.7 fWAR.
Ben Williamson is another former Mariner in the mix. He debuted with Seattle last year, bringing strong third-base defense and very little punch at the plate.
The Mariners moved him to the Rays in the offseason as part of the three-way Brendan Donovan deal, looking for a more dangerous offensive profile at third. Tampa Bay had Junior Caminero at the hot corner, so Williamson spent most of the year as a utility infielder, seeing time at second base and shortstop.
The glove held up, but the bat stayed light. He finished with a .238/.302/.318 line, 3 home runs, a 76 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR in 2026, matching the 76 wRC+ he posted in 2025.
Freddy Peralta’s Mariners connection goes all the way back to 2015, when Seattle sent him to the Brewers in the Adam Lind trade. He was 19 then, and he’s been around long enough now to have a more winding path than most.
Peralta was dealt to the Mets this past offseason and then moved again to the Rays at the trade deadline, setting up a World Series appearance against his former club. His start in New York was rocky - his ERA sat just under five across 22 starts before the move - but he settled in after arriving in Tampa Bay.
He’s allowed only two runs in 16.2 postseason innings so far. For the season, he posted a 4.42 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 2.48 K/BB and 1.9 fWAR.
Brody Hopkins is the youngest of the group, and probably the most developmental project-y of the bunch. He was the main prospect Seattle sent to the Rays in the Randy Arozarena trade in 2024 and has since emerged as a top 100 prospect, ranking third in Tampa Bay’s preseason farm system rankings.
A former two-way college player, he’s only really been committed to pitching for four years, and that inexperience has shown at times. His 2024 MiLB numbers were encouraging - a 2.90 ERA, 4.08 FIP and 2.38 K/BB - but 2026 has been bumpy.
He’s at a 5.06 ERA, 6.29 FIP, 1.17 K/BB and -0.1 fWAR, with command issues dragging him down. He was walking nearly a batter per inning in Triple-A, and while the stuff is there and the velocity has played up in shorter bullpen stints, he still hasn’t found the strike-throwing consistency to match it.
Casey Legumina also deserves a mention. He became a meaningful part of the Rays bullpen after being traded to Tampa in April, but he was left off their ALDS and ALCS rosters.
That gives the Rays the edge in former Mariners on the World Series stage, with three players to the Brewers’ one, or four if you count Legumina. And there’s one more Seattle connection hanging over it all: Randy Arozarena will apparently be cheering his former club on as loudly as he can this weekend. Even Lookout Landing has a piece of the picture, since its creator, Jeff Sullivan, works for the Rays.
In Other News...
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Mariners Search Just Took A Turn Fans Didn't See Coming
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For Seattle, the appeal is pretty clear. The next manager will inherit a roster that mixes established veterans with younger pieces still trying to settle in, and that kind of bridge role can matter as much as dugout experience. Kanzler fits the profile of an instructor and evaluator, though he does not bring major league managerial experience to the table, which makes him an intriguing name as the process moves forward alongside Joe Espada and Rocco Baldelli. [Read more 🡒]