While the painful memories of a stunning Game 7 loss will never be completely erased in their minds (unless they can right that wrong in the seasons ahead), the initial sting of falling a game short of the World Series will slowly start to fade.
Even in the aftermath of the crushing 4-3 defeat last week by the Blue Jays, a common theme emerged from the shared disappointment from players, the staff and front office: this isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning.
“I’m certainly not anticipating this being a one-and-done for this core group of players,” said general manager Justin Hollander. “They’re good people, they’re great people. They work hard, they care about each other. They care about winning. I think it’s raw for everybody right now because of all they put into it. But I think everybody knows in their heart of hearts that our window didn’t just end because we came up a run short in Game 7. There’s more in front of us, and the best versions of a lot of these players are still to come.”
With a core group of players led by catcher Cal Raleigh and center fielder Julio Rodríguez locked in on long-term deals, the entire starting rotation under club control for multiple years, along with four key leverage relievers (Andrés Muñoz, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Eduard Bazardo), the Mariners have the foundation for the consistent success that was preached by Jerry Dipoto, the president of Mariners baseball operations.
“The goal, broadly, we’ve talked for years about wanting to build a sustainable team, getting here, being in this position every year, I’d like to win more than 90 games and not have to squeak through,” Dipoto said. “This year, we charged through it, and to do it with players that we’ve known since they were 16, 17, 20 years old, it’s an amazing feeling.”
But for this to serve as a starting point for future and increased success, the Mariners have to continue to fill holes and upgrade the current roster.
“You can never have too much talent,” Hollander said. “You can never quit trying to find pieces to add. That’s where my head is going to be, probably in 48 hours or so, once I get a chance to decompress a little more. What does this team need going forward? It starts with the guys who have a chance to be free agents in a couple weeks, and seeing if we can bring as many of those guys back as possible.”
The list of players that will be free agents the day after the World Series ends:
First baseman Josh Naylor, third baseman Eugenio Suárez and relievers Luke Jackson and Caleb Ferguson.
Jorge Polanco will also likely be added to that list. He has a $6 million player option for 2026, which he is expected to decline to become a free agent. Mitch Garver has a mutual option for next season, which the Mariners are likely to decline.
“Our four, five and six hitters have a chance to be free agents in the coming weeks, so we need to figure out what’s going on in our corner infield and our DH spot, and how we solve those problems, or are those holes going forward,” Hollander said.
Of the group, Naylor has been labeled as the priority, while Polanco might be the most likely to sign.
“He fits in great,” Hollander said of Naylor. “Josh just got two months, plus the playoffs, of what Seattle was like as a sports town. The best thing that you can hope for when you acquire someone is they go play great. You go deep in the playoffs. They love it and want to be here. And I think we checked all those boxes, so we’ll try and figure it out.”
Dipoto and Hollander will have to figure out what the first-base market is like for free agents and what Naylor is looking for in a contract. At only 28 years-old, he will ask for more than three years. Would they be willing to offer a four or five-year contract at $17 million-$20 million per year? The largest free-agent contract Dipoto has given in his tenure is Mitch Garver’s two-year, $24 million contract.
Polanco would likely command a deal similar to Garver’s contract. At age 31, he likely won’t get much beyond two years, unless there is a vesting option attached to it.
A reunion with Suárez is possible, but he will be 34 next season, so a contract beyond one year seems unlikely. The Mariners could use a combination of rookie Ben Williamson and top prospect Colt Emerson at third base next season.
The Mariners have the length of the World Series as an exclusive negotiating window for their pending free agents.
Seattle could also use another experienced leverage arm in the bullpen as well as an upgrade to their bench. Hollander and Dipoto will have to decide if the platoon of Dominic Canzone and Victor Robles is how they want to proceed in right field.
“I’m always going to lean toward you can never have enough pitching,” Hollander said. “We’ve been really, really blessed with tremendous talent and tremendous health until this year. And this year we had some of the health bug bite us, and we got exposed for part of the season, just where we really felt like we were a little naked in terms of the next guy up, over and over and over again.”
While Bryce Miller (elbow inflammation) and Logan Gilbert (flexor strain) missed significant time with their respective injuries, neither is expected to need offseason surgical procedures, which is a good thing. Seattle will have to decide whether Emerson Hancock will return to his starting role or continue on as a reliever next season. Top prospects Kade Anderson, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Ryan Sloan might not be ready to contribute to help until late in the season.
“As we look in our crystal ball, we think there are areas where we can improve upon,” Hollander said. “We can’t rest on our laurels. We weren’t good enough. We were good enough to win the division. We were good enough to win a series. And those are great things, and I don’t want to diminish those at all. I’m really proud of the things we accomplished this year, but there’s still more things to go, and we need to get better. We need to do more. We need to be better.”
It’s the mentality of making sure it’s not an end, but a beginning.