One Offseason Mistake the Mariners Cannot Afford to Repeat

A real contender shouldn’t spend 129 plate appearances figuring out whether a part-time hitter belongs in the middle of its plans. The Mariners did that with Rob Refsnyder.

They signed him to handle DH work, cover some work in right field when needed and mash left-handed pitching. By August, he was gone. Refsnyder slashed .140/.211/.254 with a .465 OPS, leaving behind another hole the Mariners had to fill. It’s a mistake they have to try to avoid this offseason.

The Mariners committed lineup space to a player with a narrow path to helping them, then watched that path disappear. The club is trying to maximize the primes of Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh and an elite pitching staff. They can’t continue donating at-bats to experiments.

To be fair, Refsnyder had a recent history of success destroying left-handed pitching. He hit over .300 against lefties every season since 2021. The Mariners couldn’t predict just a .147 BA in 2026. But still, the risk was there. We’re talking about a player who hadn’t appeared in over 100 games in any season in his career. That’s not what we’d call a sure thing.

His plate appearances in 2026 made an impact, and not the good kind. Every week spent waiting for a limited hitter to become something more was another week without a dependable bat in the middle of the lineup.

Andrew Knizner belongs in a slightly different category, but he’s part of the conversation too. He signed for $1 million as catching insurance, lost the backup competition and never reached Opening Day with Seattle. A backup catcher is obviously not the answer to the Mariners’ offensive problems. His contract still captured the same winter habit: guarantee money to a marginal veteran, call it depth and sort out the consequences later.

One miss can be shrugged off. Repeating this routine becomes a roster-building philosophy.

The Mariners Need to Stop Buying Incomplete Hitters

Seattle cannot head into another winter and talk itself into a Michael Conforto or Tommy Pham as an offensive solution. Both fit the familiar outline too neatly: recognizable veterans, declining production and enough history to make a short contract sound interesting.

We’ve seen this movie too many times in T-Mobile Park. The fact is, it’s a brutal place to ask an aging or limited hitter to rediscover his swing. Seattle needs players capable of controlling the strike zone, making consistent contact and staying in the lineup against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. Another specialist only gives the manager one more matchup to babysit.

They’ve already assembled the difficult part of a contender. They have developed solid pitching. And they have star level pieces scattered throughout the roster with enough young talent to create a sustainable window. What they can’t keep doing is surrounding that core with temporary patches. Saving money on the wrong hitter is still wasting money.

Give Mariners Fans a Move They Can Believe In

If Seattle is unwilling to make an impact trade, then it should take a legitimate free-agent swing. Seiya Suzuki would qualify. He’s an everyday right-handed hitter coming off a .270/.368/.473 season with 26 home runs. Seattle wouldn’t need to manufacture a role for him or hide him from a certain type of pitcher. They can put him in the lineup and leave him there.

Mauricio Dubón offers a different kind of value. He isn’t the same offensive force as Suzuki, so the Mariners can’t sell him as their one major lineup addition. He does provide elite versatility, reliable contact and the ability to strengthen several positions without turning every lineup card into a defensive compromise. Pair him with a bigger bat and the roster becomes deeper and easier to manage.

Bo Bichette would be the boldest possibility if he opts out of his deal with the Mets. The price would be uncomfortable. Maybe more than Suzuki’s would. A franchise trying to win a championship should occasionally make a move that feels larger than a one-year experiment. Bichette’s availability is conditional, but the profile is exactly what Seattle should pursue: an established everyday hitter with bat-to-ball ability and enough offensive credibility to change the lineup.

A trade probably remains the better path. The Mariners have pitching depth and a strong farm system, which gives them the currency to chase a proven hitter under club control. That route requires accepting the prospect cost instead of circling another rebound candidate.

There’s no risk-free answer for Seattle. That’s one thing they’re going to have to get comfortable with. Suzuki could receive a massive contract. Bichette may remain in New York. Dubón alone would not transform the offense. An impact trade would cost players Seattle values.

Championship rosters are built through conviction, and conviction costs something.

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