Even after a 76-86 finish and a third-place spot in a very mediocre American League West in 2026, the Seattle Mariners are drawing some real optimism heading into the offseason. Mike Petriello of MLB.com ranked the Mariners as having the third-best current roster in baseball on Saturday.
That praise comes with an obvious asterisk. Free agency has only just begun, and those rankings don’t account for what happens if Tarik Skubal signs somewhere or Seiya Suzuki signs somewhere. The Mariners may look strong right now, but that picture can change quickly before Opening Day.
Still, there’s plenty for Seattle to like as the winter gets rolling, especially after the club hired Jason Kanzler as its new manager and Tanner Swanson as its new bench coach.
The roster itself gives Petriello plenty of reasons to buy in. Cal Raleigh is one of them after catching fire over the final six weeks of the season.
Julio Rodriguez is another, even after a down year that still ended with a 20-20 campaign. Brendan Donovan also offers encouragement after showing what he could do during an injury-plagued season, and there’s real hope that the progress made by Dom Canzone and Cole Young will hold up.
The pitching side may be even more intriguing. Matt Brash is set to return to the bullpen, and Carlos Vargas is lined up for a full season. There’s also optimism around the staff as Kade Anderson settles into a full-season role with the big-league club, with Ryan Sloan not far behind him.
Injuries were part of the story in 2026, even if blaming everything on them would go too far.
Seattle still has work to do before the roster is set. The Mariners will try to improve over the month leading up to the MLB lockout on Dec. 1, and the general manager’s meetings this week in Las Vegas will give front offices their first real chance to talk trades and meet with agents for free agents.
The needs are clear enough: an outfielder to replace Randy Arozarena and multiple bullpen arms to deepen the relief group.
In Other News...
Mariners May Need To Worry About An AL West Team Again
The As are trying to reset their baseball operation again, and for the Mariners that is at least worth a glance. Oakland has brought in Taylor Smith as president of baseball operations and Cam Castro as general manager, a pair of hires that signal a new direction for a club that has spent recent seasons trying to stabilize on the field while sorting out its long-term future off it. The Athletics have also been wrestling with pitching issues, which only adds to the urgency of getting the front office right.
For Seattle, the bigger picture still looks favorable. The Mariners have climbed in the AL West since 2021 and have built around a young, talented roster backed by a strong farm system, giving them a much firmer base than the one they were working from a few years ago. But Oaklands move toward Las Vegas in 2028 could shape how aggressively the As spend and retain players, and if this new front office can get the pitching side moving in the right direction, the division may not stay as comfortable as it has looked lately. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Trade Push Faces One Huge Problem Before The Lockout
The Mariners are in the middle of the MLB general managers meetings, trying to gauge what might be possible on the trade market before the sport hits a lockout on Dec. 1. Seattle has been linked to trade exploration, but the backdrop matters here: uncertainty around the leagues financial picture and the rules that will govern the next stretch has made front offices cautious, and that has slowed the kind of aggressive movement teams often hope to get done in November.
For Seattle, the more realistic window may open after the collective bargaining agreement is resolved, when clubs can better sort out both the economics and the roster landscape. There is already a sense that starting pitching could become a hot commodity once business resumes in earnest, which gives the Mariners a reason to stay engaged even if the pre-lockout market remains mostly in a holding pattern. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Optimism Feels Premature With So Much Left Unsettled
There is reason for long-term optimism around the Mariners, even if the picture is still hazy enough to keep expectations in check. FanGraphs has projected Seattles roster as one of the strongest in baseball for 2027, with the offense doing much of the heavy lifting in that forecast, a reminder that the clubs future core still looks promising on paper.
But plenty can change between now and then, and the roster is hardly settled. Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor are coming off surgeries, while Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford are both headed for free agency, leaving Jerry Dipoto with decisions to make and, perhaps, room to shop for help if the front office decides the current group still needs more reinforcement. [Read more 🡒]