The Seattle Mariners are heading into a pivotal offseason with a familiar problem: not enough money to solve every issue at once.
Left field and third base are both expected to open up with Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford hitting free agency, and Seattle also has an obvious need for a right-handed bat. But the bullpen may be just as important, if not more so, after another uneven year from the relief corps.
Seattle’s pen has been a trouble spot for two straight seasons. The club added left-hander Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025, but he was pushed into a low-leverage role by the end of that year before leaving in free agency.
This season, the Mariners brought in right-hander Seranthony Dominguez from the Chicago White Sox, and after a slow start he settled into a high-leverage role. Dominguez is set to return in 2027 on a $10.5 million salary.
Even with that, the overall results weren’t pretty. Seattle’s bullpen posted a 5.80 ERA from July 1 through the end of the season and finished with a 4.46 ERA, which ranked 27th in the majors. The group should look better going into 2027 with Matt Brash presumably healthy after missing most of the season because of shoulder inflammation and Dominguez back for a full year.
The question is whether the Mariners want to spend real money to fix it. The club reportedly has $30-35 million in available payroll, and there are several high-end relievers available who could fit into that range, at least on paper.
Raisel Iglesias, a 36-year-old right-hander, is coming off a 2.55 ERA and 34 saves in 37 opportunities. Spotrac projects his market value at two years and $22.7 million.
David Bednar, now 32, is also expected to draw heavy attention after putting up a 2.47 ERA with 34 saves in 39 opportunities; Spotrac has him at three years and $47.1 million. The class also includes Kenley Jansen, Pete Fairbanks and Kaimi Taira, who is being posted from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Those deals, at least in annual value, appear to be within Seattle’s reach unless a bidding war gets involved. But the catch is the one the Mariners keep running into every offseason: spending big on bullpen help could shut the door on one of the top free-agent hitters.
If Seattle decides the bullpen is the priority over a right-handed bat, or over filling third base or left field with an everyday player, it could still land someone like Jansen, Fairbanks, Bednar, Taira or Iglesias. The price, though, would likely be giving up on one of the bat-first needs on the roster.
That matters because the third base market is thin. Teruaki Sato will be posted from Japan, and several of the more familiar names are coming off shaky or injury-hit seasons, including Alec Bohm, Yoan Moncada and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Moncada, notably, is a player the Mariners have reportedly had interest in over the last two years.
In Other News...
Mariners May Be Bracing For A Randy Arozarena Decision
The Mariners are expected to make Randy Arozarena a qualifying offer worth $23.15 million for 2027, a move that gives them a chance to keep one of their more dynamic bats while also setting up a possible compensation pick if he walks. Given the way the market is shaping up, it would not be a surprise if Seattle is willing to spend a little more to replace him, even if the front office ultimately has to balance that against a broader need to keep building around the roster.
Seattles challenge is that the free-agent hitting market does not offer many clean substitutes, which is why the club could end up looking beyond the obvious one-for-one replacement and leaning harder into pitching upgrades instead. For now, the Mariners seem to be preparing for a split with Arozarena, with the real question being whether they choose to chase a high-end bat or redirect that money into the arms they may need even more. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Could Soon Face Arozarena Decision They May Regret
Randy Arozarenas future in Seattle is already shaping up as one of the bigger offseason decisions hanging over the Mariners. The two-time All-Star outfielder is nearing free agency, and his strong 2026 performance has only widened the market around him, with clubs looking for an impact bat and a player who has already shown he can handle the spotlight.
Toronto has emerged as a particularly logical suitor, while the Yankees and Red Sox could also be in the mix if Arozarena reaches the open market. For the Mariners, the question is less about whether there will be interest and more about how far they want to go to keep him, because letting a player of his caliber walk would leave Seattle trying to replace production and, at best, sorting through the draft-pick compensation that comes back the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face A Risky Rotation Dilemma At The Worst Time
The Mariners are heading into the winter with familiar pressure points and not many easy answers. After a losing season that exposed issues in the offense, bullpen and rotation, the front office has to decide whether to keep leaning on a starting staff that has been one of the clubs real strengths or use it as the trade currency to add help elsewhere.
Logan Gilbert and George Kirby will naturally sit near the center of those conversations because controllable starting pitching is exactly the kind of asset other clubs covet. But any real movement could get messy fast, because labor uncertainty is already hanging over the market and could make teams wary about committing to major deals before the offseason fully takes shape. [Read more 🡒]