Seattle has been eliminated in heartbreak fashion (How we always do) with just 1 game away from the first World Series appearance in team history. The Mariners don’t need to do much, but things still need to be done in order for Seattle to break through. I will be going through everything I want the M’s to do, and hopefully some of this stuff actually happens.

I will be putting things in order from most important to least important. Seattle is in a pretty good spot as only 5 of the 26 players are free agents this season, however the players are all very crucial towards this Mariners team, leaving tough decisions to Jerry Dipoto. It dosnt help that we don’t have as much money as other franchises.

Of course when you were 8 outs away from the World Series, not much has to be done to send this team to the fall classic. The AL West will most likely not be competitive, so that works in our favor. Still though, a team is waiting in the NL for us to face, and that is what decided our season.

I have 5 steps, ordered from most important to least important. Steps 4 and 5 are unnecessary, but in my opinion 1,2 and 3 are almost mandatory. Every step is still very important, and if we can still have a good team without them is a question to be asked.

So without further ado, here is my plan to get the 2026 World Series banner hung up in T-Mobile Park.

1 - Resign the Core (At least most of it)

This is by far the most important part of the Mariners offseason. Going into free agency, the following players are not contracted for 2026;

• Josh Naylor

• Eugenio Suarez

• Caleb Ferguson

• Donavan Solano

• Luke Jackson

• Mitch Garver

• Jorge Polanco

The latter two have mutual options in their contracts, meaning both sides have to agree on the option being used. To start off, Mitch Garver will have his option declined. Garver has struggled in two years with Seattle, not living up to his expectations. He had some moments, but his large option dosn’t help.

Donavan Solano will be the other player not returning. I thought we had already designated him for assignment but I guess not, anyhow I digress. He wouldn’t be returning anyways due to his age and poor play, so it dosn’t really matter.

That leaves 3 of our 4 starting infielders - Naylor, Polanco and Suarez. Polanco will most likely not take the 6 million dollar option, however if he does it leaves Seattle in a better place financially.

This won’t happen unfortunately, so Seattle has to make the hard decision of who to cut. Seattle can only afford 2 of the 3, leaving one to be a free agent. And as much as I hate to say it, it’s obvious who to cut - Eugenio Suarez.

Suarez was the hottest player on the trade market, but didn’t really pan out for Seattle in the second half. He was batting .189 with Seattle, horrible compared to his .248 with Arizona. His grand slam will be remembered by M’s fans, but not the rest of the world since we couldn’t pull it off. It hurts, but he has to go.

That is, unless we take a page out the Dodgers book and defer some money. This will most likely not happen, but you never know. Naylor and Polanco returning is very likely however.

Now we get into the nitty gritty - the contracts. This is just some outline contracts, and probably not the contracts that will happen. Here they are;

• Josh Naylor (4 Years/$88 Million Dollars)

• Jorge Polanco (2 Years/$36 Million Dollars)

• Eugenio Suarez (2 Years/$44 Million Dollars)

• Caleb Ferguson (2 Years/$9 Million Dollars)

• Luke Jackson (1 Year/$500k dollars)

Both Naylor and Polanco’s contracts will be deferred, with Naylor getting $11 Million over 8 years and Polanco getting $9 Million over 4 Years. The Mariners budget was reportedly at $20-$25 Million, so this helps us stay in budget with around $5 Million left to spend.

For Geno, The Mariners will pay $5 Million for the first 2 years, and then and $8.5 Million for the 4 years after that. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.

Keeping Suarez was a tough call, due to his struggles I’ve mentioned earlier - but he really fits into this team. A power hitting 3B is exactly what we need, and we might get a discount on Geno as he loves this city (Same with Polanco and Naylor). I do expect many teams to be going after not only Geno, but Polanco and Naylor aswell. I trust this group to return however, and I would be shocked if they didn’t. I mean the only time I have seen Naylor smile is when wearing a Seattle Kraken jersey, so you would assume.

With how few left handed pitchers the mariners have, I decided to resign Ferguson solely for that matter. If we had more left handed pitchers, I would not be resigning him.

Luke Jackson I just brought back for the fun of it, I really couldn’t care less if he doesn’t return. I would option him to AAA and possibly call him up if he has a good year, or use him as a trade piece at the deadline.

In terms of the other players;

• Mitch Garver (Signs with MIA, 1 Year/$1 Million)

• Donavan Solano (Signs with WAS, 1 Year/$750k)

• Luke Jackson (Signs with LAA, 1 Year/50k)

Don’t worry too much about the teams, I kinda just put down some places that I think they could go to. That’s how I would go with the Mariners in terms of signing players, but more things still need to be done.

2 - Add Some More Contact Hitting (Mostly in the Outfield)

As it mentions in the title, contact hitting wasn’t our strong point - especially from the outfielders. Julio started off slow before like always before picking it up, and Randy had a down season. I expect him to bounce back in a contract year however, and if the M’s resign him or not is a conversation for next year.

Right Field is a bit more tricky. Robles is an incredible fielder, but struggled with injury and personality issues in AAA. His postseason struggles lead to Leo Rivas taking his spot in the Linup.

Canzone batted over .300, and will be used more frequently. His postseason stats were also lacking, and his RBI numbers need to be drastically improved if he wants to be become a day to day player. Being in his prime though does make me hopeful.

Canzone is my pick for who I want to start in right, and the only thing holding me back is Canzone’s defence. Him and Robles will switch between Right in my opinion, Robles for defence and Canzone for contact.

But what about both? A player who can field and have great contact. I have only one name in my mind.

Brenton Doyle

Doyle had a down season last year due to personal issues, leading to the Rockies not trading him. Before that however, he looked like one of the most exciting players in all of baseball. Yes, he dosn’t have power, but Canzone is a sneaky good power hitter. Along with Julio, Cal, Naylor, Suarez, Polanco and others, it’s not needed to have more power

Being on a rookie deal means that we can stay in budget, and due to his trade value being so low, we can get him for a discount compared to this time last year. So this is my proposal to acquire Brenton Doyle from the Colorado Rockies

Mariners Receive

• OF Brenton Doyle

• $1 Million Dollars

Rockies Receive

• OF Miles Mastrobuoni

• OF Jonny Farmelo (#7 Prospect)

• SS Nick Becker (#13 Prospect)

• Grant Knipp (#28 Prospect)

Some would say it’s an overpay on Seattle’s end, especially with how stacked our farm system is. I think the $1 Million cash considerations helps with this, as it gives the M’s the ability to sign a low end player. Giving away Mastrobuoni is another plus for Seattle.

Canzone could very well be the DH, with Doyle in RF. The 3 centre field system worked really well for us, and while we could do with some power instead, I am looking to get that in other areas. Possibly the DH, but I have some other options aswell.

I had som other options for this RF spot, with Brandon Nimmo being the main one. I decided against it due to his age and contract compared to Nimmo. Being on a good team would bump his price up even higher.

3 - Make The Big Splash (And you guessed it - It’s a trade)

Seattle has made some league changing moves in the offseason before. Trading Ketel Marte for Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura is the most notable, but another one is signing Robbie Ray coming off a Cy Award and many others. The M’s main issue for the past decade has been finding a DH after Cruz left. And I have just the guy in mind.

My criteria was pretty simple. Good player on a bad team, has contact and power, and doesn’t have to be the greatest fielder of all time. A small contract would also help very much. That left me towards a couple of players, some including Brent Rooker, Nick Kurtz, Luis Robert Jr and Tyler O’Neal. However I settled on one player, who was traded to the team he is currently on in a Juan Soto trade.

If you can’t guess it, it’s CJ Abrams. Abrams is right in his prime currently, and has had his best season yet for the Nationals. The Nats don’t seem to be in contention for a long time, leaving some moves to be made.

Abrams fits the criteria perfectly, bad team, smaller contract, pretty good contact and power hitter and isn’t a good fielder. He has had some issues with Nats management before, making it more likely for them to trade him.

Here is the deal I am proposing.

Mariners Receive

• IF CJ Abrams

• LHP Eriq Swan (#17 Prospect)

Nationals Receive

• OF Lazaro Montes (#3 Prospect)

• C Luke Stevenson (#10 Prospect)

• IF Brock Holden (#22 Prospect)

• RHP Chia-Shi Shen (#24 Prospect)

Giving up our #3 Prospect along with another top 10 prospect leads to us getting back Eriq in return. We can’t be completely decimating our farm system, despite having 2 players in the top 15.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr was very close to being put in instead of Abrams, and I was contemplating having both of them for a bit. He is someone that we could possibly go after if we don’t resign Geno, moving Abrams to 3B and having him as DH.

This is a very good option, and one that I wouldn’t be angry at if this happens, especially since Gurriel is younger and cheaper. How I decided against this though was that I prefer Abrams as DH due to his defence.

Gurriel could very well be a Arozarena replacement if he has another bad season, however Arizona has to be just as bad this year. It’s always an option.

Bo Bichette was someone else I was thinking about possibly signing, but that was a quick thought and something that I never really looked into.

This has now solved our batting order for next year. Some bench moves might be made, but that’s all for that side. Now it’s just pitching to figure out.

4 - Add to the bullpen (Even though we don’t really need to)

Our 5 starters are set for next year, that’s not changing at all. Our bullpen was still really good last year, and the only member leaving is Caleb Ferguson. Depth is still important however, and some small moves can be made to keep on improving.

There are a couple of players who I want to take a chance on, and some others who I think are sure things. I have 3 players who I am acquiring, 2 to be in AAA at the start of the season. If they preform, they will be in the MLB.

The first trade is for Giovanny Gallegos. He was an incredible player back in 2020-22, however he has struggled due to some injuries and hasn’t found his form. He is currently in the Dodgers minor league system.

Here is the trade for Gallegos;

Mariners Receive

• RHP Giovanny Gallegos

Dodgers Receive

• IF Nick Freeze (AA)

• $500,000 Cash Considerations

Freeze isn’t a top 30 prospect, and is on the 60 Day IL roster. We use half the money we got from the Rockies in the Doyle trade to seal the deal.

The next player is one of the most nasty pitchers in all of the minor leagues, and someone who has been getting some slight attention lately. That player is Kenny Serwa, a knuckleball pitcher for the Tigers AA team.

He has two knuckleballs, a 90 mph one and another that he calls the ‘Yoshi’. Just watch a video to see what I mean, he is genuinely nuts. He isn’t a top 30 prospect, so it might not take much to get him.

Here is the proposal;

Mariners Receive

• RHP Kenny Serwa

• $4 Million Cash Conciderations

Tigers Receive

• RHP Tyler Gough (#25 Prospect)

While we are giving up a top 30 prospect, having Serwa along with Cijntje running our pitching is unhitable. $4 Million is another reason why we do this deal.

Now it’s our MLB player. He ranked 18th in ERA this year, and somehow survived the Twins onslaught of trades. This player is none other than Joe Ryan, a 29 year old starting pitcher, who the Mariners would use in the bullpen.

While it may be hard to get him, this is the deal I have layed out.

Mariners Receive

• RHP Joe Ryan

Twins Receive

• RHP Jackson Kowar

• OF Korbyn Dickerson (#17 Prospect)

• RHP Marcelo Perez (#19 Prospect)

More prospects coming out along with Kowar, however they are not very high end prospects. It may be a fleece on the side of Seattle, however I am obviously biased with all these trades. Despite Ryan being a starter in Minnesota, the Mariners would have him as a relief pitcher due to how stacked our starting rotation already is.

That is what I am planning to do for the Mariners bullpen. I did have some other ideas, like trading for Aroldis Chapman, however I decided not to. This was because his age and contract. Others included Jeffery Yan for some fun, and possibly Zac Gallen from free agency.

That’s our star studded rotation down, meaning that there is only one more step left until I believe that the Seattle Mariners have a team that is World Series calliber - if we weren’t already.

5 - Round out the team (But not necessarily the MLB roster)

This is the free agency step. There isn’t much I want to do in this stage, however replacing Garver and Solano is really the only thing left. We have some money from the Serwa trade, so I have some options.

Main issue with the team is actually the leadership. JP is the longest tenured Mariner at only 9 years (In 2026), so bringing back some fan favourites is what I will be doing. Seattle has quite a lot of fan favourites, so I have many options to pick from.

The two players I am bringing back is former 1st baseman Ty France, and my favourite player Mitch Haniger

• Ty France (1 Year/$3 Million)

• Mitch Haniger (1 Year/$750k)

France is on a Jays team that made the World Series (At the time of writing, they are 1 game away from winning) and Haniger hasn’t played since 2024. Veterans who have been in Seattle before is crucial for mentorship, something that could be helpful.

While they will most likely be minor league players, if injuries happen they can step up and play big league baseball for a team they know very well.

I was thinking that we could also bring back former utility man Dylan Moore, but since we DFA’d him just this year I deem that impossible. Still love him though ❤️.

Along with this, we will be hiring former 3rd baseman Kyle Seager as an assistant hitting coach. Having another former Mariner around as a coach solidifies the mentor aspect. Mike Zunino will also be brought in as a bullpen/warmup catcher, and Nelson Cruz as an assistant hitting coach in partnership with Seager. They could be AAA hitting coaches aswell.

That is all I have for the team. It may be a lot of steps, but steps that are needed if we want to actually win a World Series. Here is the dream team going into the 2026 Season.

2026 SEATTLE MARINERS ROSTER

Italics - New Player

BATTING

C - Cal Raleigh

1B - Josh Naylor

2B - Jorge Polanco

3B - Eugenio Suarez

SS - JP Crawford

LF - Randy Arozarena

CF - Julio Rodriguez

RF - Brenton Doyle

DH - CJ Abrams

BENCH

IF - Leo Rivas

OF - Victor Robles

UT - Dominic Canzone

C - Harry Ford

STARTING PITCHING

1 - Bryan Woo

2 - Logan Gilbert

3 - George Kirby

4 - Bryce Miller

5 - Luis Castillo

RELIEF PITCHING

LHP - Gabe Speier

LHP - Caleb Ferguson

RHP - Joe Ryan

RHP - Matt Brash

RHP - Eduard Bazardo

SU - Carlos Vargas

SU - Emerson Hancock

CL - Andrés Muñoz

MINOR LEAGUES

HITTERS

• Luke Raley

• Cole Young

• Ben Williamson

• Colt Emerson

• Ty France

• Mitch Haniger

PITCHERS

• Giovanny Gallegos

• Kenny Serwa

• Eriq Swan

• Luke Jackson

• Kade Anderson

ADDITIONS AND SUBTRACTIONS

NEW PLAYERS

• Brenton Doyle

• CJ Abrams

• Joe Ryan

• Ty France

• Mitch Haniger

• Giovanny Gallegos

• Kenny Serwa

• Eriq Swan

LEAVING PLAYERS

• Mitch Garver

• Donavan Solano

• Myles Mastrobuoni

• Jaxon Kowar

• Lazaro Montez

• Jonny Farmelo

• Luke Stevenson

• Nick Becker

• Korybn Dickerson

• Marcelo Perez

• Brock Holden

• Chia-Shi Shen

• Tyler Gough

• Grant Knipp

• Nick Becker

That is the team that I think can win a World Series. While it’s not completely perfect, it’s more than good enough for the job we are wanting to do. While it is almost certain that this dosn’t happen, this is what I hope happens in the offseason.

It was tough decimating our farm system, however when you look at it we didn’t really give up much. Keeping Colt Emerson and Kade Anderson was extremely important for me while doing this rebuild, as both prospects are our future. If we end up doing more extreme deferment of money, it becomes even more important for those two to preform at a high level. Keeping them did limit the players I was able to go after, however I am still very happy with the team I put together.

Please give me some feedback on my trades, contracts, and any other moves that you would have preferred instead. Please like and flame, as this took me quite a long time to write. Feel free to share this to everyone you know who likes baseball (And possibly Jerry Dipoto) as I want to get as many people to see this as possible.

2025 was a whole lot of fun, but in 2026 we can get the job done.

🔱