The Seattle Mariners are not in the market for a shortstop for the 2026 season and probably not for the foreseeable future.
Since May of the 2019 season, J.P. Crawford has capably handled the duties, winning a Gold Glove in 2020 and blossoming into a leader on the field and in the clubhouse. While he has his detractors, Crawford has started and appeared in more games at shortstop — 851 regular season and 17 in the playoffs — than any player in franchise history.
He brought stability to a position that cycled through players — veterans and prospects — at a rapid rate, finding minimal consistency whether it was the defense, the offense or the personality.
Over that span of time with the Mariners, he’s accumulated 17.1 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR), which is 14th most of any shortstop. Since signing a five-year, $51 million contract extension before the 2022 season, he’s produced 11.6 fWAR. He heads into the 2026 season in the final year of that extension. His heir apparent, top prospect Colt Emerson, is expected to take over for him in 2027 while possibly getting some MLB experience at third base and fill-in time if needed at shortstop in 2026.
At age 19, Emerson started the season in High-A Everett, made a productive stop in Double-A Arkansas, finished up his minor league season with Triple-A Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League playoffs and played in the scrimmage games as a member of the Mariners postseason taxi squad.
He will come into MLB spring training with an outside chance of making the opening-day roster as a platoon third baseman. In 130 combined games at the minor league level this season, he posted a .285/.383/.458 slash line with 28 doubles, six triples, 16 homers, 78 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 71 walks and 105 strikeouts.
It’s a good thing that the Mariners are relatively set at shortstop, as it’s a thin free-agent class.
The top tier
Bo Bichette: It wasn’t that long ago when there was some debate about who the Blue Jays might prefer to keep between Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. A large part of that issue was cost and signability. From 2021 to 2023, Bichette accumulated 13.5 fWAR while posting a .298/.339/.476 slash line. Over those three seasons, he averaged 185 hits, including 34 doubles, 24 homers, 94 runs scored and 89 RBI.
He followed that up with an injury-riddled 2024 season (multiple calf strains and a finger fracture) that was abysmal. In 81 games, he posted a .225/.277/.322 slash line with 16 doubles, four homers and 31 RBI. In his free-agent walk year, Bichette played in 139 games, posting a .311/.325/.483 slash line with 44 doubles, 18 homers, 94 RBI, 78 runs scored, 40 walks and 91 strikeouts. A knee injury forced him to the injured list at the end of the season. He returned to play second base in the postseason.
Given his injury history and his struggles on defense this season, a switch to second base might be coming soon.
The Blue Jays extended a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer to Bichette for the 2026 season. If he declines it to become a free agent, then any team that signs him loses a third-round draft pick.
At only 28, he seems to be looking for a deal of five years if not more with an annual average value of at least $25 million. But will he get it? Baseball’s richest teams seem to be set at shortstop. With looming labor strife after the 2026 season, the market for a long-term deal might not be ideal. Bichette might have to take a shorter-term, high-annual salary deal with an opt out to try and increase his value for a longer-term deal.
Given their success last season wouldn’t it seem logical for the Blue Jays to sign him to a long-term deal?
Ha-Seong Kim: The Braves claimed Kim off revocable release waivers in September with the hope that he wouldn’t decline his $16 million player option for 2026, giving them a veteran infield option at multiple positions.
Kim suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder late in the 2024 season while playing for the Padres that required season-ending surgery. He signed a two-year contract with the Rays last offseason but played in just 24 games for Tampa. The recovery from shoulder surgery and back issues sidetracked his production. After being claimed by the Braves, he played in 24 games, posting a .253/.316/.368 slash line with a double, three homers, 14 RBI, 12 walks and 16 strikeouts.
At age 30 and with questions about his health and whether he can play shortstop on a daily basis, Kim likely won’t get much beyond a two-year contract.
The best of the rest (age)
Miguel Rojas (37), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31), Jorge Mateo (31), Orlando Arcia (31) and Tim Anderson (33).