The Mariners may have lost their biggest bat from left field, but that doesn’t automatically mean they need to sprint into the market to replace him.
Randy Arozarena is the likely departure, and he’s fresh off the best season of his seven-year major league career. He hit .281/.381/.484 with an .865 OPS in 156 games, piling up 34 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs and 79 RBIs.
He also stole 26 bases in 34 tries and earned his second straight All-Star nod, his third in four years. At 31, he figures to be the top hitter available in free agency, and Seattle is unlikely to match the kind of money other clubs with deeper pockets will be willing to throw at him.
The Mariners can still extend a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer, and they are expected to do that. Arozarena is expected to decline it.
That leaves left field open, but not necessarily begging for an outside fix. Seattle is projected to have $30-35 million available in payroll, and the cleaner path may be to patch the spot internally.
Utility man Brendan Donovan and top 100 prospect Michael Arroyo are both options there, though neither comes without some uncertainty. Donovan was limited to 39 games last season after two trips to the injured list, one for a left groin strain and another for a concussion. Arroyo, meanwhile, got his first major league call-up Sept. 6 and only appeared in 15 games before the season ended.
Because of Donovan’s recent injury issues, Seattle could lean into a true utility role for the 2025 All-Star and let Arroyo handle most of the innings in left.
If that’s the route, the Mariners may be better off targeting a real third baseman instead of chasing a pure left fielder, especially with J.P. Crawford heading toward free agency.
Right field brings a different kind of question. The Mariners have spent the last two seasons juggling platoons there and at designated hitter, using a long list of names that includes Dominic Canzone, Taylor Ward, Leody Taveras, Victor Robles, Rob Refsnyder and Lazaro Montes.
Canzone and Refsnyder shared right field and DH duties this season until Refsnyder’s retirement from the role following a career-worst stretch. Canzone took advantage of the opening and put together the best year of his career, batting .264/.336/.484 with an .820 OPS, 28 doubles, four triples, 23 homers and 77 RBIs in 146 games.
Unless something changes, Canzone looks set to open 2027 as the regular right fielder. He should also continue to split time between that spot and DH with Montes, another top 100 prospect who was called up in September and hit .212/.305/.481 with a .786 OPS, two doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs in 21 games.
So the corners aren’t exactly loaded with certainty. One spot could be manned by a player coming off injury, two more are tied to prospects, and the other belongs to a player who has only one full season of high-end production on his résumé.
Still, with third base and the bullpen sitting higher on the priority list - and with the clock ticking before the MLB and MLB Players Association’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires - the Mariners may not have much appetite, or flexibility, to chase outside help in the outfield. For now, they may have to make do with what’s already in house.
In Other News...
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Cole Young Just Gave Mariners Fans A New Reason To Believe
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Young is among three finalists at second base, alongside Chase Meidroth and Michael Massey, and the honor puts him in position for another notable milestone before the offseason fully settles in. The winners will be announced on Nov. 1, leaving Mariners fans with one more reason to keep Youngs name front and center as the clubs future starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]