Since re-signing Josh Naylor, Mariners' front office has been put in a tough position
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With three big free agents on their infield, the Seattle Mariners knew they would have to put in some serious work to hold on to key players in their infield. The team had 90 victories and was looking to hold together their nucleus, hopefully retaining all three.
So far, the reigning AL West Champions have gone one-for-two, retaining the services of first baseman Josh Nalor with a multi-year deal, but losing out on 2B Jorge Polanco, who defected to the New York Mets. That leaves third baseman Eugenio Suarez as the last one remaining on the free agent market.
For team president Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander, dealing with salary issues and making smaller deals has taken the place of blockbuster deals. And for two men who built a team that was one win away from the World Series, they know they need to improve.
“To be that close and to be left frustrated year after year, it puts us in maybe a more aggressive mindset," Dipoto said. "And we want to figure out a way to get better.”
“We do have the ability to add payroll and we do have some financial freedoms,” Dipoto said. “We also have the ability to be creative. This is probably the first year that we’ve been very aggressive in talking to other teams about trade targets that include the upper end of our prospect system.”
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Hollander has emphasized keeping the successful core group together with "same goals, same priorities", expressing belief that "this group is going to be together a long time".
Signing Suarez would be huge for the Mariners
Free agent Eugenio Suárez spent parts of the 2025 season with both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners after a midseason trade. He hit just .228 with an on-base percentage of .298. but had outstanding power numbers. He smacked 49 home runs (5th in MLB) , 118 RBI (4th in MLB), and a .526 slugging percentage. Suarez also emerged as a locker room leader down the stretch.
"Geno brings a ton not just on the field, but off the field, his steady presence, great makeup," Seattle general managerJustin Hollander stated. "What he brings to a clubhouse every day, it's really hard to replicate. So we've maintained contact with Geno's reps all winter long."
With the departure of second baseman Jorge Polanco and the rise of number-one prospect Colt Emerson, the Mariners could let the youngster start and the keystone. That would be a less expensive option, eliminates the need to make a big trade and would allow the team to focus specifically on re-signing Suarez.
