The Seattle Mariners have already checked one major box this offseason by hiring Jason Kanzler as their new manager. Now the real roster work begins.
With the manager search finally settled after a month, Seattle can turn its attention to the lineup and the bullpen, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has already outlined the shopping list. The Mariners are looking for one-to-two hitters, at least one reliever and a “veteran infield presence.”
That last piece could be its own move, separate from the bats. If it is, two familiar names could wind up back in the mix: Carlos Santana and Eugenio Suarez.
Both are free agents, and both are coming off seasons that look very different on paper.
Suarez played 125 games for the Cincinnati Reds after signing a one-year, $15 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for 2027 that was declined. He hit .212/.307/.433 with a .740 OPS, along with 18 doubles, 26 home runs and 74 RBIs.
Santana’s 2026 season was much quieter. He split time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, spent most of the year in the minors and appeared in just eight games.
In 24 at-bats, he hit .083/.154/.125. He finished with two hits, including a double.
Seattle knows both players well.
Santana was with the Mariners in the second half of the 2022 season and helped during the push that ended the club’s 21-year playoff drought. He also built a relationship with then-rookie Julio Rodriguez, who is now the franchise centerpiece. Santana’s time in Seattle ended with a .693 OPS in 79 games, plus 15 homers and 39 RBIs.
There was also a near reunion before the 2025 season, but Santana chose to go back to the Cleveland Guardians, where he had spent 10 of his first 11 major league seasons.
Suarez has his own Seattle chapter. The Mariners traded him to Arizona on Nov. 22, 2023, then brought him back at the July 31, 2025 trade deadline. He played a part in the Mariners’ run to the American League Championship Series, then delivered one of the biggest swings of the postseason on Oct. 17, 2025, when he hit two home runs in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, including the go-ahead grand slam in a 6-2 win.
Even after that, Seattle chose not to re-sign him after the 2025 season. The Reds later put him on waivers in September, and no team claimed him.
Because both players are now near the end of their careers, they could come at a much lower price than in past offseasons. That matters for a Mariners club that finished 76-86 and five games out of first place in the American League West after starting the year with World Series expectations.
Kanzler has already made it clear he won’t force a fixed identity on the roster, saying he wants the team to focus on winning games however it can. A veteran like Santana or Suarez could help shape that tone, especially with existing ties to key players already in the clubhouse. It could also add a measure of accountability, something several players said was missing last season.
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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
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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 🡒]