Mariners Eye Michael Arroyo for Left Field as Randy Arozarena Nears Free Agency

Arroyo’s bat earned more than the occasional Sunday start.

Sep 13, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Michael Arroyo (96) warms up before the start of a game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Randy Arozarena declines his qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, which is what many expect, the Mariners are planning to give Michael Arroyo a real shot at some of the starts he’ll leave behind. We’ve spent a lot of time in 2026 wondering where Seattle will find room for Arroyo’s bat. The club is getting him ready to be deployed in left field.

Jerry Dipoto told Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times that the Mariners expect Arroyo to play more left field than second base in 2027. Cole Young has established himself at second, and the extensive work Arroyo did at third in spring training in 2025 was too hard on his throwing elbow. That leaves left as his clearest path to playing time.

Arroyo gave everyone a reason to want to see more at-bats in 2026. He slashed .283/.359/.471 with 18 homers in 114 games between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma. He’d already played 66 games in left field by the time Seattle called him up in September. Then he went 13-for-35 with a homer and a .953 OPS for the Mariners. Thirty-five at-bats isn’t much. Some players can look like stars in that amount of time. The stronger case for giving him a longer look is what he did over 114 games to earn the call.

Before we get there, he has to get back on the field. Arroyo had an internal brace procedure to repair a partially torn ligament in his right elbow. Seattle hopes he can DH in spring games and then work his way into left field. The club believes he can be ready for major league games by April. How often he can start in the outfield will depend on how his throwing and defense look once he gets into games.

Seiya Suzuki Could Help Replace Arozarena’s Bat

Divish and Adam Jude report that the Mariners are exploring the market for Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki. They also report that Seattle has penciled in Brendan Donovan as its regular left fielder for 2027. Suzuki’s interest in Seattle is unclear, but the fit is easy to see. His bat could help make up for what the lineup would lose with Arozarena, and Seattle could get that production from right field.

That all sounds fine, so where do Lazaro Montes and Dominic Canzone fit? If Suzuki takes over in right and Donovan gets most of the starts in left, we’re already asking Seattle to carve out starts for Arroyo. Canzone and Montes could get at-bats at DH, but Cal Raleigh will need some of those starts whenever the Mariners want to keep his bat in the lineup and give him a day off from catching. If we want Arroyo to get a real look and Montes to have a runway when he’s ready, we ought to ask whose starts they’re taking.

Donovan is the player who matters most to Arroyo’s playing time. His versatility lets Seattle keep his bat in the lineup at another position when Arroyo starts in left. We might see a few more days off for Donovan, too, after a left groin strain sent him to the injured list twice in 2026. Once Arroyo’s elbow is ready and he can handle left field, use those days to get him into the lineup. Then give him a stretch of starts so we can see how his bat holds up with regular work.

We can want the Mariners to spend on Suzuki and still want them to give Arroyo a meaningful share of left field. If Arozarena leaves, Seattle has to replace his production across the lineup. Go get an established hitter to help do that, then give Arroyo enough starts to show how much of the job he can handle.