Now-Former Seattle Mariners Third Baseman Listed as Player to Watch This Offseason
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Two weeks ago, the Seattle Mariners made the surprising decision to non-tender third baseman Josh Rojas, who spent most of the 2024 season as the team's starter.
The decision was likely over money, as Rojas was projected to earn $4 million in arbitration, and the M's are looking to save money wherever they can.
Now that he's been non-tendered, Rojas has been listed as a "free agent to watch" by MLBTradeRumors.
Per the site:
Rojas was a somewhat surprising non-tendered, given his status as one of the Mariners’ better internal infield options headed into 2025. Evidently, the club wasn’t willing to pay a projected $4.3MM salary for his services next year after an up-and-down 2024 campaign that saw him slash a decent .204/.304/.336 (91 wRC+) overall. That slash line doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as Rojas hit just .192/.273/.301 (72 wRC+) after all the All-Star break this year. That’s an untenable slash line for an everyday player, particularly given the fact that Rojas is a rather pedestrian defender at both second and third base.
The Mariners acquired Rojas in a trade deadline deal in 2023, getting him, Ryan Bliss and Dom Canzone in the deal that sent Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rojas started out the 2024 season in a platoon with Luis Urias, but after Urias was sent to Triple-A, Rojas assumed the everyday role. Perhaps he'd find better success in a platoon role in 2025. The M's could elect to bring him back at a lesser number, but thus far, there's been no chatter on that front.
The M's have been connected to third baseman Alec Bohm on the trade market, but perhaps things will start to pick up with the winter meetings beginning on Dec. 9.
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