With spring training underway, the Seattle Mariners are hoping to build off a 2025 season that saw them get the closest the franchise has ever been to reaching the World Series. The Mariners return the core of the team that fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games in the American League Championship Series. That includes first baseman Josh Naylor, a key midseason acquisition, who returns after resigning with the Mariners as a free agent. Retaining Naylor was the most crucial part of the Mariners’ offseason plan, but it wasn’t the only part. The team made several key additions in the offseason, all of which will help them answer some of the questions they face heading into the new season.
Who plays second or third base?
We’ll start with the easy bit.
In the final weeks of the offseason, the Mariners acquired infielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals. Donovan is a versatile player who will likely bat leadoff, and one of the second- or third-base positions is his. The team deployed several options at third base last season, starting with Jorge Polanco, before shifting to Ben Williamson and then Eugenio Suarez. All of those players have now moved on, with Polanco signing with the New York Mets, Williamson being traded for Donovan, and Saurez signing with the Cincinnati Reds. That leaves the Mariners thin at depth at the position at least temporarily, making it a fine landing spot for the new acquisition.
While Donovan’s better position is second base, the Mariners do have a pile of options to fill in there. The team initially used Cole Young for a significant portion of last season after opening day starter Ryan Bliss was injured weeks into the season. In the stretch run, they largely played Polanco there. Bliss is still recovering from injury, but he may be an option if he is healthy by opening day. Young will get another crack at the position, and postseason hero Leo Rivas also figures to have a chance to earn the spot. Top prospect Colt Emerson could also have a shot at winning the job out of spring training. Emerson is capable of playing second, short, and third base and will almost certainly wind up on the big league roster at some point in 2026. The only question is whether he makes the team straight out of the gate or spends some more time in AAA Tacoma before debuting.
With Donovan likely opening the season at third base, second base is likely Young’s to lose. How long he can keep it will depend on his performance and on how quickly Emerson starts at AAA.
Who is the designated hitter?
As they do at second base, the Mariners have a pile of players who will appear at designated and in leftfield. However, we will once again start with the easy bit. On any day he isn’t catching, Cal Raleigh will be the designated hitter. Outside of that, the team will be finding a left-handed platoon partner for Victor Robles in the outfield and potentially Rob Rersnyder at designated hitter. Dom Canzone and Luke Raley may be battling for a single roster spot to platoon at one of those positions. If the Mariners have room to keep both Canzone and Raley, they will probably run with a platoon at both spots. One dark horse to watch is catcher Mitch Garver, who returned to the team on a minor league contract just before spring training. If he makes the major league roster as a backup catcher, he could also see occasional time at designated hitter.
However, if they go that route, they will be forced to carry just one backup infielder, likely Rivas.
Can the pitching hold up?
The Mariners are running back their same starting rotation as last year and a bullpen that may arguably be better than last year’s. They have bet big on a pitching turnaround after a middling year by the team’s recent standards. They traded top catching prospect Harry Ford to Washington in exchange for left-handed setup man Jose A. Ferrer. After a cup of coffee last September, Ford had a clear path to playing time by splitting catching and DH duties with Raleigh. Instead, the Mariners swapped him for Ferrer, who gives the team an electric left-handed arm out of the bullpen. Ford wasn’t the only prospect shipped out this offseason. Third baseman Ben Williamson and ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje were included in the trade for Donovan. However, the Mariners didn’t trade significant pieces from either their starting rotation or their starting pitching depth.
That may become important early. Logan Evans, who figured to be first in line if any of the team’s top five starters missed time, will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Without him, the team’s pitching machine will roll on. Highly touted prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, the team’s No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, are likely to make their debuts in 2026. If the top six in the Mariners’ bullpen can also stay healthy and effective, the Mariners are going to send out a pitching staff that, on paper at least, is one of the most formidable in the league.
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