Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners

Despite some glaring needs for offense, the Mariners only ended up tinkering a bit with their lineup after a pretty quiet offseason.

Major League Signings

• Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: One year, $7.75MM (including $750K buyout of $8MM mutual option for 2026, converts to $6MM player option if Polanco has 450 PA in 2025, and $8MM player option if Polanco has 550 PA in 2025)
• Donovan Solano, IF: One year, $3.5MM

2025 spending: $11.25MM
Total spending: $11.25MM

Option Decisions

• Mitch Haniger, OF: Exercised $15.5MM player option for 2025
• Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: Mariners declined $12MM club option for 2025, paid Polanco $750K buyout

Trades & Claims

• Acquired RP Casey Legumina from Reds for cash considerations
• Acquired IF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni from Cubs for cash considerations
• Acquired IF Austin Shenton from Rays for cash considerations
• Acquired RP Will Klein from Athletics for international bonus pool money
• Acquired minor league C Blake Hunt from Orioles for cash considerations
• Acquired minor league RP Michael Hobbs from Mets for cash considerations
• Claimed RP Hagen Danner off waivers from Blue Jays
• Claimed minor league C Nick Raposo off waivers from Blue Jays (later outrighted off 40-man roster)

Notable Minor League Signings

• Rowdy Tellez, Trevor Gott, Josh Fleming, Adonis Medina, Shintaro Fujinami, Casey Lawrence, Garrett Hill, Jacob Nottingham, Jack Lopez, Jhonathan Diaz, Luis F. Castillo, Neftali Feliz (released), Drew Pomeranz (released), Jesse Hahn (released)

Extensions

• None

Notable Losses

• Haniger, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Josh Rojas, Luis Urias, Sam Haggerty, Austin Voth, JT Chargois

After a few months of scouring the free agent and trade markets for a replacement for second baseman Jorge Polanco, the Mariners ended up signing….third baseman Jorge Polanco, brought back on a one-year deal worth $7.75MM in guaranteed money, and with a vesting option that could guarantee Polanco at least $6MM in 2026.  Polanco has played the vast majority of his nine MLB seasons as a middle infielder, but he does have 24 games of experience as a third baseman, with 15 of those games coming as recently as the 2023 season when he was still a member of the Twins.

Polanco’s defensive metrics as a second baseman were mostly subpar, and his lack of a strong throwing arm raises questions about how well he’ll translate to the hot corner.  However, the bigger issue might be whether or not Polanco can rebound from a rough year at the plate.  The infielder hit only .213/.296/.355 over 469 plate appearances with Seattle in 2024, while also missing a month due to a hamstring strain, and undergoing surgery in October to correct a lingering left knee problem.