November is shaping up as a busy month for the Seattle Mariners, even with a manager still to be hired. The front office has plenty of baseball business to handle before the likely MLB lockout arrives on Dec. 1 at 9 p.m. PT, and several dates on the calendar could shape the roster and the offseason ahead.
The first big checkpoint comes on Nov. 1, when Gold Glove winners are announced at 5:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.
The Mariners have one nominee in second baseman Cole Young. That nod fits with the team’s defensive struggles in 2026, but Young’s season still stood out as a step forward.
He played in 161 games and showed more range than he did during his half-season in 2025, even if questions remain about his arm.
Nov. 2 brings a packed day. The Mariners must get their 40-man roster down to compliance by the 2 p.m.
PT deadline. Right now, the roster sits at 43 once players on the 60-day injured list who are coming back are counted, which means at least three players will need to be removed through designations for assignment.
That same day also covers contract options, though Seattle already handled those decisions. The club exercised its option on Andres Munoz and declined options on Victor Robles and Bryce Miller. Robles is now a free agent, while Miller will head back into arbitration.
There’s another deadline tied to free agency on Nov. 2 as well. The Mariners have until 2 p.m.
PT to extend a qualifying offer, worth about $23 million, to any of their free agents. Randy Arozarena is widely expected to receive one and reject it, which would bring draft pick compensation back to Seattle.
From Nov. 9-12, the baseball world gathers in Las Vegas for the general managers meetings, and those sessions could matter even more if the winter meetings in December get wiped out by a lockout. It may be the best window for Jerry Dipoto to work on a trade or lay the groundwork for one later.
Award season also rolls through that stretch. Rookie of the Year winners are announced on Nov. 9, though the Mariners have no one in the mix.
Manager of the Year follows on Nov. 10, and since Dan Wilson was let go, he won’t be winning. Cy Young winners are announced on Nov. 11, with no Mariners in contention there either.
Nov. 11 also includes the Comeback Player of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Hank Aaron Award and All-MLB Teams announcements. Arozarena could be in line for All-MLB recognition.
The MVP announcement comes the next day, Nov. 12.
Later in the month, Nov. 17 brings the Silver Sluggers, and Arozarena could be in the conversation there too after his second straight All-Star appearance. That same day is also the deadline for qualifying offer decisions and Rule-5 protection.
If Seattle does make Arozarena a qualifying offer, that’s when he must decide whether to accept or decline it. It’s also the last chance for the Mariners to promote eligible minor leaguers and shield them from the Rule-5 Draft, though it’s unclear whether that draft will even happen with the lockout looming.
The final major date is Nov. 20, when the non-tender deadline arrives. Any arbitration-eligible player the Mariners don’t want to keep must be non-tendered by then.
After that, the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires, and the waiting begins. How long negotiations last and how ugly they get remains to be seen, but the offseason could turn into a long and slow one.
In Other News...
Mariners Face Costly Bullpen Decision With Emilio Pagn
The Mariners are surveying the relief market with an eye toward adding a veteran right-hander, and Emilio Pagn has emerged as a name worth tracking. A free agent after a season in Cincinnati, Pagn brings a profile that fits what Seattle often looks for in the bullpen: experience, swing-and-miss ability and a track record that suggests there is still some upside to chase in the right setting.
What makes him especially intriguing for Seattle is the ballpark factor, since T-Mobile Park tends to be a friendlier place for pitchers than some of the hitter-friendly environments he has worked in before. The catch is cost, because a pursuit of Pagn would likely push the Mariners into a deal north of $10 million per year, which would make this more than just a depth signing and turn it into a meaningful financial decision for a bullpen that still has other needs to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Got Another Real Third Base Option To Consider
The Mariners have another third-base name to weigh as they look ahead to their 2027 roster picture. The Korean Baseball Organization has posted Roh Si-hwan, opening a 30-day window for all 30 MLB clubs to negotiate with the Hanwha Eagles infielder, and Seattle is among the teams that could be in the mix as it continues searching for answers on the left side of the infield.
Roh brings a track record that makes him more than a flyer. He has spent eight seasons with Hanwha and has also built international experience through events like the 2022 Asian Games and the 2026 World Baseball Classic, giving him the kind of rsum that tends to draw attention when clubs are hunting for established help rather than a pure projection. For the Mariners, the question is whether this becomes a real pursuit or simply another option in a market that could shape how they patch together third base. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Manager Search Now Hinges On One Front Office Priority
The Mariners are down to the final stretch of their manager search, and the process has narrowed to a pair of familiar names with Houston ties in Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler. Seattle has spent the past several days working through its options, and the focus now appears to be less about casting a wide net and more about finding the right fit for a front office that wants its next skipper to mesh cleanly with the organizations direction.
What stands out at this stage is how much the decision seems to hinge on alignment as much as experience. Both candidates come from the Astros pipeline, which gives Seattle a clear sense of their background, but the club still has not announced a hire. For a team trying to build a consistent identity, the next manager is being judged on whether he can share the same vision from day one. [Read more 🡒]