Editor’s note: Monday’s World Series Game 3 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers finished after print deadline.
SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners spent almost as much as they ever have on player salaries in 2025, finishing the season with roughly $165 million in payroll commitments, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
As they look to build on their best finish in franchise history – one win shy of the World Series – Mariners ownership has committed to maintain a budget in that same range for 2026, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said.
“I would say similar to where we ended the year, as a starting point,” Dipoto said, when asked last week about the 2026 payroll.
The Mariners’ budget for player salaries peaked in 2017 at around $171 million and dropped just slightly a year later, at roughly $167 million, according to Spotrac.
Going into 2019, the Mariners began a dedicated rebuilding effort, during which payroll dipped below $100 million consecutive seasons (2020 and 2021):
At the trade deadline this summer, the Mariners added significant payroll with the additions of Eugenio Suárez ($5 million for the final two months of the regular season), Josh Naylor ($3.6 million) and Caleb Ferguson ($1 million).
Over the last handful of years, the summer trading window has been bountiful for the Mariners, acquiring the likes of Luis Castillo, Randy Arozarena, plus Suárez and Naylor, among others. Most of those deals have needed the approval of ownership to increase payroll.
“The commitment that we get from ownership is real,” Dipoto said. “This year, the uniqueness was that we added two of those types of players (Suárez and Naylor), and I think it shocked people. But we have the support of our ownership group and they’ve always been open to us pushing in. We did push this summer in a way that maybe we didn’t quite push before, but we think, again, part of our roster-building model is to really lean into what we can access in July and lean on our city, our ballpark, our fan base and our atmosphere to really help seal the deal, because it’s the best recruiting tool we have.”
Dipoto expects that to continue in 2026, with a chance to increase payroll in the summer if the team is in a competitive position, as they will surely expect to be for the foreseeable future.
“This was always the goal, to methodically build toward what we were doing,” Dipoto said. “And I’m comfortable that the resources that we’re given, we’re going to have every ability to go out and put together a championship-quality team. And like we have in recent years, when we get into the right position, I’m certain that we will be aggressive in doing the next thing.”
The Mariners closed out the 2025 season ranked 15th out of 30 MLB teams in payroll budget, and there is a general “run-it-back” tenor to the Mariners’ early plans for 2026.
Based on current projections – between guaranteed salaries, team options and arbitration-eligible players – the Mariners have roughly $130-$135 million in commitments on the books for 2026. That should leave them roughly $30-$35 million, as of now, to spend this offseason.
A bulk of that is expected to be earmarked for Naylor, who enters free agency at 28 years old coming off the best season of his career.
Naylor immediately endeared himself in Seattle this summer – to teammates, coaches, executives and fans alike – Dipoto said Thursday that re-signing Naylor is “obviously” a priority for the club this offseason.
Naylor enters free agency a year after two other All-Star-caliber first basemen agreed to multiyear deals. Pete Alonso signed a two-year, $54 million deal to return to the New York Mets (he’s already gone on record saying he will exercise his opt-out clause), and Christian Walker signed a three-year, $60 million with the Houston Astros.
Because of his age, Naylor is expected to seek a contract of at least four years in length.
Jorge Polanco has a $6 million player option for 2026. If he declines it, he would become a free agent, and he’s a veteran the players have suggested they would like to bring back on a new deal, too.