Seattle Mariners GM Justin Hollander is Bracing for Free Agency
In this story:
Just a couple of weeks ago, many fans and experts were picking the Seattle Mariners as the top contender to win the 2025 World Series. However, after a hard-fought, seven-game battle with the Blue Jays, the M's fell one game short of reaching the Fall Classic for the first time in franchise history.
After being sent home by Toronto, the Mariners will go back to the drawing board, and they will definitely have their work cut out for them. Two-thirds of the infield will be entering free agency: first baseman Josh Naylor, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, and second baseman Jorge Polanco (who's expected to turn down his player option to enter the open market).
Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco (player option) are all set to become free agents.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 22, 2025
The Mariners need to add ________ this offseason. pic.twitter.com/eS2pljIQUn
For GM Justin Hollander, it will be about using the team's dollars in a way that makes sense. The Mariners had a 2025 payroll of approximately $164 million, which ranked 15th in Major League Baseball. It's doubtful that the club can bring back all three of those big hitters. Especially considering Seattle also wants to shore up its pitching staff.
Seattle will Seek Pitching in Free Agency
With 15-game winner Bryan Woo unable to work as a starter in the postseason due to a late-season injury, it really exposed how thin the rotation is. While the M's have some impressive arms, another front-line starter, an innings eater, should be high on Seattle's shopping list.
“I’m always going to lean toward you can never have enough pitching,” Hollander said. “We’ve been really, really blessed with tremendous talent and tremendous health until this year. And this year, we had some of the health bug bite us, and we got exposed for part of the season. Just where we really felt like we were a little naked in terms of the next guy up, over and over and over again."
The #Mariners now have a huge offseason ahead, and it will start with their own players who are set to enter free agency.@ZacHereth breaks down the situations with players who will be free agents or could be based on options in their contracts.https://t.co/oeUjjhZp8s
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) October 23, 2025
“And our guys did a great job. Some guys came in and filled in really admirably. We asked a lot of Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans. We asked a lot of some of the relievers on the team who stepped up. But we’re always going to need more pitching."
"The league tells you a story every year – and if you don’t listen to it, you’re crazy – that you can never have too much pitching.”
