The Seattle Mariners’ offseason has been a mixed bag-one part upside, one part uncertainty, and a dash of déjà vu. They moved on from two established names in Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez, both of whom brought real impact to the lineup.
That’s not nothing. But the front office didn’t just sit on its hands.
They brought in Brendan Donovan and José A. Ferrer-two players who, if things click, could help reshape the identity of this roster.
Let’s start with Donovan. The Mariners didn’t just get a utility guy-they got a player who fits the team’s needs like a custom glove.
He’s a high-contact bat who can slot into the leadoff spot, and he brings real defensive versatility across the infield. Think of him as a spark plug for a lineup that still runs through Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez.
At his best, Donovan sets the table and makes life easier for the big bats behind him, while shoring up the defense wherever he’s needed.
Then there’s Ferrer, a lefty reliever with closer-level stuff. His fastball pops, his control is solid, and there’s real intrigue in what he could become.
The Mariners see him as a potential late-inning weapon-a setup man who can bridge the gap to Andrés Muñoz. That’s the blueprint.
But here’s the thing-Mariners fans have seen this movie before. Twice, in fact.
Remember Adam Frazier? Back in 2021, Seattle traded for him with high hopes.
He was coming off an All-Star campaign, praised for his contact skills and defensive flexibility. Sound familiar?
The Mariners talked him up as a seamless fit, much like they’re doing with Donovan now. But Frazier’s bat cooled off fast.
He went from hitting .305 with a 4.0 rWAR in 2021 to .238 and 0.9 rWAR in 2022. That version of Frazier didn’t move the needle, and his career hasn’t really bounced back since.
Then there’s Gregory Santos. Acquired in early 2024, Santos had all the underlying numbers you want in a high-leverage reliever-elite velocity, strong ground-ball rates, and a knack for avoiding barrels.
But injuries derailed his time in Seattle. Over two seasons, he managed just 16 appearances with a 5.02 ERA, more walks than strikeouts, and ultimately a non-tender in November.
The raw tools were there, but the results never followed.
So now the Mariners are walking a familiar path. Donovan and Ferrer look like upgraded versions of Frazier and Santos on paper.
Donovan is younger and more established than Frazier was at the time of his trade. Ferrer, while older than Santos was, brings more major league experience-77 more appearances, to be exact.
Still, the risk is real. Donovan’s game relies heavily on contact, and that type of profile can be vulnerable to bad batted-ball luck.
If he’s overexposed to lefties, the results could dip in a hurry. Ferrer, meanwhile, has swing-and-miss potential, but it hasn’t translated yet.
His career strikeout rate sits at just 7.7 K/9-not exactly lights-out for a guy expected to handle late-inning duties.
The Mariners are betting that this time is different. That they’ve learned from the past.
That Donovan and Ferrer can be the reliable contributors Frazier and Santos never became. If they’re right, these moves could quietly become the foundation of a playoff push.
If not, well-Seattle’s seen how that story ends.
For now, the Mariners are leaning into the upside. But they’ll need more than hope for this experiment to work. They’ll need results.