Jerry Dipoto says he wants to reset the Seattle Mariners’ culture this winter, but the conversation can’t stop at the clubhouse. If the team is serious about changing its look and feel, it also has to change the way it keeps falling for the same roster-building temptations.
That means one thing in particular: no more bargain-bin chase for right-handed platoon bats just because they punish lefties. The Mariners have been burned before by that exact lane, with AJ Pollock, Rob Refsnyder and Taylor Ward all serving as reminders that a neat split on paper can turn into a mess in practice. And with Ward and Victor Robles both set to leave the bench this winter, the fear is that Dipoto may go right back to the same well.
If Seattle wants to avoid another self-inflicted headache, these four free agents should be off the list.
Randal Grichuk is the easiest trap to understand. There’s no mystery to his appeal: he destroys left-handed pitching. Since 2020, he has posted a 137 wRC+ across 1,071 plate appearances against southpaws, and this season he was even better, finishing with a 181 wRC+ in that split.
But that exact sales pitch sounds awfully familiar. It’s the same type of profile that once made Refsnyder look like a tidy fit before everything fell apart, leaving the Mariners with a 33 wRC+ on a $6.25 million investment before he was released and retired. Grichuk is 35 now, and that kind of bat-only value can vanish fast.
Lane Thomas is a more interesting name on paper, mostly because he’s still 31 and has the same lefty-killing profile. Since 2021, he’s produced a 133 wRC+ against left-handers, and even Tarik Skubal knows how dangerous he can be.
The problem is everything else. Thomas has had two rough seasons in a row, with injuries limiting him to 39 games last year and then little momentum with either Kansas City or Atlanta this year. His 125 wRC+ against lefties was fine, but it came alongside just 0.4 rWAR overall, which doesn’t exactly scream stable everyday contributor.
Ramón Laureano has the kind of past that can still fool a front office. He was once a dynamic center fielder for the A’s, but the role that really fit him later was as a right-handed platoon hitter working the corners. From 2021 through 2025, he put up a 131 wRC+ against lefties.
Even so, the recent track record is choppy enough to make you pause. Laureano was solid rather than spectacular against lefties in 2022 and 2023, then cratered to a 48 wRC+ this year before season-ending hip surgery in June. At 32, he’s not exactly the kind of low-risk flier Seattle should be eager to chase.
Then there’s Miguel Andujar, a player who looked like he was sliding out of affiliated ball before the A’s revived him in 2024 and turned him into a serious platoon threat. Over 2024 and 2025, he posted a 178 wRC+ against lefties, the fourth-best mark in baseball.
But that version didn’t stick this year. Andujar managed only a 90 wRC+ against lefties, and he brought even less defensive flexibility with him than before.
He played 61 games at DH, compared to just 10 combined at third base and first base. He’ll also turn 32 before Opening Day next year, which only adds to the risk.
If Dipoto is really serious about change, these are exactly the kinds of names Seattle should leave alone.
In Other News...
Mariners Lineup Debate Comes Down To One Dangerous Imbalance
Bleacher Reports projected Opening Day lineup for Seattle paints an intriguing early shape to the Mariners outfield, with Trent Grisham penciled in to start in left field next to Julio Rodrguez in center. It is the kind of arrangement that looks clean on paper and gives the lineup some athleticism, but it also starts to reveal a larger issue for the club as it continues sorting out the roster around Rodrguez.
The concern is balance, or the lack of it, because a heavily left-handed order can become easier to manage for opposing clubs, especially when left-handed pitching shows up on the schedule. Seattle also appears to be in danger of losing some right-handed punch, with Randy Arozarena and Taylor Ward among the bats that could disappear from the mix, leaving the Mariners even more dependent on finding reliable production from the other side of the plate. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Could Target 4 Bounce-Back Names To Fix A Frustrating Roster
A frustrating Mariners season that finished 76-86 has naturally pushed the conversation toward how the club can find more reliability around a core that too often came up short. Injuries were part of the problem, but so were underperforming regulars, leaving Seattle to sift through the market for players who still carry upside even if their recent results have been uneven. Four names have surfaced as possible bounce-back fits, including Anthony Volpe, Kristian Campbell and Mark Vientos, the kind of talent swings that could give the roster a different look if the Mariners decide to be aggressive.
What makes the exercise interesting is that these are not simple, clean acquisitions. Each player comes with questions attached, and one of the biggest hurdles in the group is tied to Campbell's deal, which makes any pursuit far more complicated than a normal fit-and-fill move. Seattle could use more impact and more certainty, but getting there may mean threading the needle on value, risk and timing while one of the options in the mix remains a mystery for now. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Not Be Done Reshaping Their Coaching Staff
The Arizona Fall League has long been a useful proving ground for players, but it can also be a window into the coaching pipeline, and the Mariners have their hands in it through Jordan Cowan and Dylan Gargas. Cowan is serving as the Javelinas hitting coach, while Gargas is working on the pitching side, giving Seattle another look at how its own instructors stack up in an environment built around development and evaluation.
The broader takeaway for the Mariners is that they do not seem content to treat the current staff structure as fixed. The piece points to outside names such as Billy Facteau and Jeff Livesey as coaches worth keeping on the radar, which fits a larger pattern of Seattle exploring talent both inside and beyond the organization as it considers where its next staff upgrades might come from. [Read more 🡒]