The Mariners are in the middle of a manager search, but the roster churn is already taking shape. Once the new league year opens five days after the World Series, Seattle will have a short window before the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires and the threat of a lockout hangs over the sport. In that span, the club will start sorting through its offseason decisions, and at least four players are set to reach free agency.
Randy Arozarena is the biggest name in that group, and maybe the toughest one for Seattle to replace. He spent the last 2.5 seasons with the Mariners after eight years across St.
Louis, Tampa Bay and Seattle, and he turned in a huge stretch for the club. Arozarena made the All-Star team in both 2025 and 2026, hit .255 for Seattle with 58 home runs and 80 doubles, and added 61 stolen bases.
This season he led the American League with 113 runs scored, hit .281 and posted a 148 OPS+.
Even with some questions hanging over his age - he’s almost 32 - plus his effort and defense, Arozarena should draw plenty of attention on the market. The Mariners are unlikely to keep him, though they do appear headed toward extending him a qualifying offer.
J.P. Crawford is another notable name heading toward free agency.
Now 31, he came into the league as a first-round pick by the Phillies in the 2013 MLB Draft before arriving in Seattle after the 2018 season in the Jean Segura trade. He first suited up for the Mariners in 2019 and became the team’s longest-tenured player this season.
Crawford’s Seattle résumé is a strong one. He’s hit .247 with a .340 on-base percentage over his Mariners career, led the American League with 94 walks in 2023 and also hit 19 homers that year.
He won a Gold Glove in the COVID 2020 season, owns the most games played at shortstop in franchise history and was added to the club’s 50 Greatest Players List this summer. There’s even a chance he eventually lands in the team’s Hall of Fame.
But the fit going forward is murkier. His defense has slipped, and he hit only .221 this season, though he still managed a .335 OBP and showed he can handle third base.
Seattle could bring him back, but the role is the question. Is he the starting third baseman alongside Colt Emerson at short?
Would that push Brendan Donovan to left field? Or does Crawford end up on the bench, and would he even want that?
He has said he wants to stay in Seattle, but the cost could be playing time and status.
Taylor Ward and Hoby Milner round out the list. Ward came over at the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles and had a rough 32-game stint, batting just .125 with seven RBIs while also dealing with a leg injury. Milner appeared in six games at the end of the season and posted a 4.26 ERA over 6.1 innings.
There are a couple of other roster items to watch, too. Andres Munoz has a team option that is likely to be picked up, while Victor Robles has a $9 million team option that is likely to be declined, which would send him into free agency as well.
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