Mariners’ Lazaro Montes Promotion Could Turn Triple-A Tacoma Into a Souvenir Factory

The Mariners’ farm system just pushed two more bats to the doorstep.

Feb 20, 2025; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners outfielder Lazaro Montes poses for a portrait during media day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Mariners officially did the thing. Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo are headed to Triple-A Tacoma, giving the Rainiers a spark of must-see talent and Mariners fans another reason to go see what’s going on at Cheney Stadium.

This is the best move for the hitters going through the farm for Seattle. They typically have to go through the rollercoaster of hitting in Double-A before they get a chance to hit in the much easier confines of the Pacific Coast League. Even though they’ll see more complicated pitching, turning on one in the PCL actually rewards you. 

So when you think of Montes hitting the PCL? Be prepared for this guy to make it look ridiculous. The 21-year-old outfielder leaves Double-A Arkansas after hitting .234/.369/.550 with 25 home runs, 66 RBI, 54 walks and a .919 OPS across 339 plate appearances. 

Now he gets to go to Triple-A, where the baseball tends to fly a little more, the parks can play friendlier, and mistakes can turn into souvenirs before the pitcher has even finished regretting the pitch. We’re talking about a player who could easily finish his minor-league season with over 50 home runs, unless of course the major-league team gives him a call before he gets to that number. 

Tacoma might want to tell fans to bring their gloves in the meantime.

Lazaro Montes' 25 home runs lead @Mariners minor leaguers this season, ranking 4th across @MiLB.

Michael Arroyo is batting .337 with a .983 OPS over his last 25 games. https://t.co/ApJKBkFfHt

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) July 6, 2026

Mariners Move Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo to Tacoma at the Perfect Time

Pitchers in Triple-A are older, smarter and usually better at finding the hole in a young hitter’s swing. Montes still struck out 103 times in Double-A, good for a 30.4 percent strikeout rate. So we don’t need to pretend that this might not be the smoothest transition out of the gate. 

Montes also walked at a 15.9 percent clip. So hopefully that patience will still play as he settles in. But at the end of the day, there was nothing left to learn from watching him punish Double-A pitchers. 

Have a night Lazaro Montes! Laz blasts his 2nd HR of the game.

4-5, 2HR, 2B, 4R, 6RBI. pic.twitter.com/CI1MLClGzh

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) June 26, 2026

The Mariners have moved Montes and Arroyo together for four straight seasons, and they are doing it again because both have earned it in different ways. Montes brings pop. Arroyo brings polish.

Arroyo hit .287/.364/.456 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 13 stolen bases and an .820 OPS in Double-A. He struck out just 49 times in 297 plate appearances, good for a 16.5 percent strikeout rate. He makes wall-to-wall line-drive contact. He can move around defensively. And he keeps pitchers honest because he can run into one when they least expect it. Like Montes, Arroyo is also 21 years old, and he’s already built a case that he can be an important player for the M’s next wave.

MLB's No. 43 prospect Michael Arroyo caps a four-hit night with a 109 mph homer 🚀@Mariners | @ARTravs | @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/4LXIm1XJz7

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 5, 2026

He is not the souvenir factory that Montes will be. He’s more like the guy keeping the lights on. Together, they’re a pretty nice combo. 

There are a couple of things worth pondering over with this move and why it’s happening right now. Both guys can play the outfield, they’re now just 45 minutes south of Seattle, and they’re being promoted with the trade deadline less than a month away.

That means we could see them taking swings at T-Mobile Park before the year is over, whether that happens because of injuries or because the Mariners shake up the roster with trades. The latter is probably the scariest version, because that would require the Mariners deciding to sell and reshape their roster for the future.

And if we don’t want to overthink it too much, this could also just be the move because it was time. Maybe the Mariners want to get them some Triple-A hacks before they break camp with the team next season. Maybe they want them closer to Seattle in case the big-league roster needs help. Or maybe they want to see exactly how close these bats really are before making bigger decisions at the deadline.