In re-signing Josh Naylor to one of the largest free-agent contracts in club history, the Mariners fulfilled their No. 1 priority early in the offseason.
Next on their wish list: two proven relief pitchers to fortify the bullpen.
Seattle has checked in on a range of candidates, both via free agency and trade possibilities, and sources with knowledge of the club’s plans say the Mariners are hopeful of landing at least one reliever by the end of the MLB Winter Meetings next week in Orlando, Fla.
With All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz returning on a $7 million club option for 2026 — with options for 2027 and ’28, too — the Mariners are not expected to be in the mix for high-end free-agent closers still available, such as Edwin Díaz or Robert Suarez.
More likely, the Mariners will shop in the next tier of free-agent arms, while continuing to explore trade options. The Mariners were in on free-agent right-hander Phil Maton before he signed a two-year, $14.5-million deal with the Chicago Cubs in late November.
Here are a few other names the M’s are considering:
Hoby Milner, LHP, free agent: The Mariners are prioritizing the addition of another left-handed reliever to complement Gabe Speier, who made a career-high 76 appearances in the regular season this year (and then seven more in the playoffs).
Milner pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2025 on a one-year, $2.5-million contract, posting a 3.84 ERA in 73 appearances. Milner had his best season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, posting a 1.82 ERA in 73 appearances.
Milner, who turns 35 in January, has a funky sidearm release point that serves him especially well against left-handed hitters, whom he held to a .208/.226/.300 (.526 OPS) slash line.
Matt Strahm, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies have three lefty relievers — Strahm, José Alvarado and Tanner Banks — and they have reportedly received inquiries on all three this offseason. They could choose to move one to address another area of need on their roster.
Strahm makes the most sense for the Mariners. The 34-year-old lefty has extensive experience in a high-leverage role, holding hitters to a .499 OPS in those situations in 2025, per Baseball Reference.
Strahm is owed $7.5 million for 2026.
JoJo Romero, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals appear to be in a rebuilding mode, and it would make sense for them to move Romero, who is projected to make about $4.4 million in 2026 in his final season of club control.
Romero, 29, had a 2.07 ERA this year with a strong 54.5% groundball rate, and he’s made 65 appearances in each of the past two seasons.
Jose Ferrer, LHP, Washington Nationals: The Nationals, no doubt, would command a hefty asking price in return, but the 25-year-old Ferrer is one of the more promising up-and-coming bullpen arms in baseball.
From the left side, Ferrer has a big fastball (a 97.7 mph sinker), a changeup, a slider and an elite groundball rate (64.3%). He had 11 saves for the Nationals after taking over as the closer in the second half of the season, finishing with a 4.48 ERA and a 3.60 expected ERA.
Tyler Rogers, RHP, free agent: Rogers (not to be confused with his twin brother, Taylor, a lefty) might be the most fascinating free-agent reliever on the market this winter.
The submarine-style right-hander — who turns 35 on Dec. 17 — had the slowest fastball in the majors this year, averaging 83.5 mph. Even so, he was one of baseball’s most valuable relievers, posting a 1.98 ERA in 81 appearances between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
Rogers gets very little swing-and-miss, but he consistently generated weak contact, with a 62.1% groundball rate and the second-lowest walk rate (2.3%) of any pitcher in MLB, which makes him a pretty ideal fit for the Mariners and their pitching philosophy.