Jerry Dipoto has a lot on his plate this offseason, and the Mariners’ offense is the part that keeps staring back at him. There’s a managerial search to handle first, but the bigger headache is obvious: a lineup that ranked 28th and could be losing its best bat.
Randy Arozarena’s 148 OPS+ and 5.5 rWAR show just how much he mattered, even if that was the peak of his production. If he leaves in free agency, Seattle is looking at a serious void.
Sure, bounce-back seasons from Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor in 2027 would help. But that can’t be the plan.
If Arozarena isn’t back, Dipoto has to find a real replacement.
There is at least some logic to making a push to keep Arozarena. The problem is that it may already be leaning the other way. Word is he prefers the East Coast, and a team like the Boston Red Sox has already been mentioned as a possible big spender.
The Mariners do have internal options in left field, including Brendan Donovan and Michael Arroyo. But leaning on that kind of answer would only feed the same criticism Seattle has heard all year: that Dipoto and owner John Stanton aren’t serious about winning. A 25-25 star like Arozarena isn’t the sort of player you swap out for a couple of placeholders and hope for the best.
That’s why Jon Morosi’s recent mention of Tyler Soderstrom and Riley Greene on “Wyman and Bob” of Seattle Sports stood out. Those are the kinds of names that actually fit the assignment.
Greene, especially, makes sense on paper. Left fielders like him don’t exactly grow on trees, and he matches up well with Arozarena over the last three seasons.
He’s also six years younger and still on the upslope. After a career-high 36 home runs in 2025, Greene shifted toward steadier production in 2026, and the results were there: a .371 OBP and an .816 OPS against lefties, both career highs.
For Detroit, Greene is more than a trade chip. He’s a former No. 5 overall pick who has grown into a cornerstone.
That makes him hard to move, but not impossible to ask about. He’s two years from free agency, and the Tigers need fresh offense after losing Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize from their rotation this season.
If Seattle wanted to push, there’s at least a framework to imagine. Since Greene is also eligible for free agency after 2028, a package built around George Kirby could be part of the conversation, with a top prospect like Arroyo, Felnin Celesten or Jonny Farmelo added in. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s the kind of deal concept worth floating.
Soderstrom would also be a meaningful addition, even if he profiles as a version of Greene with a little less upside. Over his last two seasons with the A’s, he’s put up a 122 OPS+ and 44 home runs. He turns 25 on November 24, and this season was the first year of a five-year, $35.43 million contract that should age well for a club.
The biggest drawback with either player is the same one the Mariners can’t ignore: both are left-handed hitters. Replacing Arozarena’s right-handed bat with a lefty changes the shape of the lineup, and good right-handed hitters are hard to find. Seattle already had issues against left-handed pitching this season, even with Arozarena in the mix.
In Other News...
Mariners Lose Andrs Muoz For The Year At The Worst Time
The Mariners are heading into the final stretch without Andrs Muoz, a blow that lands at exactly the wrong moment for a club trying to hold together its late-season bullpen plan. Seattle put its closer on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation, and because only three games remain, his season is effectively over after an injury that first surfaced last weekend in Denver.
Troy Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to help fill the gap, but replacing Muoz is about more than just shuffling a roster spot. He had already been unavailable for the past three games, and now the Mariners have to navigate the finish without one of their most trusted late-inning arms while the stakes keep rising in the closing days of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
J.P. Crawford Deserves One Seattle Sendoff Fans Can Still Give
Rick Rizzs is getting the kind of farewell that fits a Mariners institution: the longtime broadcaster is retiring after 41 years with the team and will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame next year. As Seattle moves toward the end of its 2026 season with games against the Angels still ahead, it is also a reminder of how much of the franchises recent identity has been built by people who have been around long enough to become part of the place.
J.P. Crawford belongs in that conversation too. The shortstop has been one of the Mariners more important players during his time in Seattle, and with free agency looming after the season, there is at least a chance these final games are his last in a Mariners uniform. If that turns out to be the case, the club and its fans may want to make sure his exit gets the same kind of appreciation that Rizzs is receiving. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face 3 Roster Holes That Could Test This Offseason Plan
After a disappointing finish and an early postseason exit, the Mariners enter the winter with a familiar kind of pressure: keep the core intact, but fix the places that kept them from getting where they wanted to go. Julio Rodrguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor are still in place, which gives Seattle a strong foundation, but the roster around them has clear questions as the offseason begins.
Third base, shortstop and left field all stand out as spots the Mariners need to address, and each one comes with its own wrinkle, whether it is injuries, free agency or plain performance uncertainty. However Seattle chooses to fill those holes, the front office knows the next few months will go a long way toward determining whether this team can turn a frustrating season into something more durable. [Read more 🡒]