With the news that Jorge Polanco has signed with the Mets and is no longer available for the Mariners to sign, I think it’s time for me to revisit my ideal offseason plan for the M’s. Here’s what I’d do if I ran the Mariners:
Let’s take a look at where the roster currently stands.
CF: Julio Rodriguez
LF: Randy Arozarena
RF: Victor Robles
1B: Josh Naylor
2B: Cole Young
3B: Ben Williamson
SS: JP Crawford
C: Cal Raleigh
DH: Dominic Canzone
Bench: Leo Rivas, Luke Raley
SP: Bryan Woo
SP: Luis Castillo
SP: Logan Gilbert
SP: Bryce Miller
SP: George Kirby
SP: Emerson Hancock
Obviously, the core of Rodriguez, Raleigh, and Crawford are not going anywhere. Neither is Naylor, who just signed a five-year contract that will extend his time in Seattle through 2030. Everyone else should probably be on the board to be traded, however.
Here’s what I’d do.
Infield:
Starting in the infield, the Mariners need either a second baseman or a third baseman. Going into the season with Young and Williamson both in the starting lineup seems extremely silly, and the team has said they would like to add one infielder this offseason, so that’s my plan.
3B: Jordan Westburg, Orioles (TRADE)
Everyone is talking about trading for Brendan Donovan, but what about a guy like Jordan Westburg on the Baltimore Orioles? Westburg is cheaper than Donovan, and younger, with higher upside. He’s coming off a down year, but proved he can be an All-Star in 2024, when he was worth 2.4 bWAR in 107 games. The Mariners would probably have to give up one of their starting pitchers to make this trade, and in this case, I would send Luis Castillo to Baltimore. It saves money for the Mariners and adds Westburg to the lineup.
Outfield:
In the outfield, Seattle at least needs a right fielder. But what if they swing for the fences here?
RF: Kyle Tucker
The Mariners should take the money they are saving from trading Castillo and sign Kyle Tucker. Tucker is a superstar who immediately impacts the lineup in a positive way. He brings World Series experience from his time in Houston and would give Seattle the best “big 3” in the league alongside Raleigh and Rodriguez.
DH
The Mariners still could use a veteran to play DH for them, and if they are truly trying to win a World Series, Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley are not going to cut it.
DH: Carlos Santana
Santana can still play (1.1 bWAR in 2025), and he’d be an affordable veteran option. He also has a good relationship with Julio Rodriguez, which helps.
New roster:
If the Mariners make the moves I’m suggesting, the roster could look something like this:
CF: Julio Rodrigiez
RF: Kyle Tucker
LF: Randy Arozarena
1B: Josh Naylor
2B: Cole Young
SS: JP Crawford
3B: Jordan Westburg
C: Cal Raleigh
DH: Carlos Santana
Bench: Victor Robles, Dom Canzone, Leo Rivas, Luke Raley
SP: Bryan Woo
SP: Logan Gilbert
SP: George Kirby
SP: Bryce Miller
SP: Emerson Hancock
SP: Logan Evans
This team is significantly better than the current squad, even without Castillo in the rotation.
