Three wishes for the 2024 Mariners off-season

What the LL staff is wishing for, realistically and not-so-much-so, this off-season

The holiday commercials are just starting to hit the airwaves, but the stove is already heating up as teams start to make decisions on options and non-tenders. With that in mind, it’s time to start thinking about what this Mariners team might look like in 2025, albeit in broad terms. In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, each staffer we could prod out of their winter hibernation made a list of up to three wishes for the upcoming season, divided into three categories: socks (cheap and practical), a new bike (your One Big Present), and one pony (dream on, kid).

Kate:

SOCKS: Retain Justin Turner

With the focus on turning over the very old roster that Dipoto inherited, sometimes it feels like there’s a tendency with this FO to overlook veteran leadership. Justin Turner provided that to the 2024 team while also producing in the box; Luke Raley went so far as to say he believes the team would have made the playoffs if Justin Turner had been a Mariner all season. It doesn’t have to be Justin Turner, exactly, but he’s a known quantity in the clubhouse and his skillset plays well with a team that’s still learning to control their strikeout issues. One pair of bright-red socks, please.

BIKE: Keep the rotation intact

In the coming months you’re going to see a bunch of trade scenarios that involve sending off a member of the Mariners’ rotation in exchange for a splashy offensive addition. I dislike this approach for two reasons: first, they got a splashy offensive addition at the trade deadline, in the form of Randy Arozarena. Secondly, I am very opposed to breaking up the rotation in order to bring in an unknown quantity who may or may not be able to hit in this ballpark. Wait, also I don’t like this scenario because it means they didn’t just spend money to get Gleyber Torres or Ha-Seong Kim or whoever. THREE reasons, then. I’m fine with moving prospects not named Colt Emerson to get some offensive help - someone has to play second base, after all - but want them to do so without blowing up the integral thing that demonstrably and reliably Works for this team.

PONY: Make T-Mobile Park not a hitter’s house of horrors

The Mariners are continually trying to optimize their lineup to suit their ballpark, in recent years seeking out contact-oriented line drive hitters, but what if they instead focused those energies on optimizing the ballpark? Get a team of physicists or meteorologists or whatever in there and start analyzing, baby. My non-STEM-girlie layperson suggestion: glass in that gap above the left field bleachers so the wind and rain can’t blow in during those late spring/early fall games. Will it help the offensive environment? Maybe. Will it help fans not get soaked down their backsides like Moo Deng getting the hose? Definitely.

Eric:

SOCKS: Sign Carlos Santana to a 2-year deal like you obviously should have done before 2023

It’s not too late! He’s still good, just won his first career Gold Glove at first base, the chemistry/vibes boost he brought to the team in 2022 was immeasurable, and he says he wants to play another 3-4 seasons.

BIKE: Trade for Brent Rooker

As rude as it may be to snatch away the best position player on the Las Vegas Athletics of Sacramento, this guy deserves to be on a team that appreciates his obvious zeal for analytics and will likely be able to give him even more resources on that front. His recent turn on social media this offseason of talking a bit of inside baseball on swing decisions has been fascinating and I feel like he’d fit in really well with the current Mariners roster, as well as add another fairly consistent bat.

PONY: Sell the team*

*But only to an ownership group who is willing to spend what it takes to win a World Series in the modern age of baseball. No more hamstringing Dipoto on free agency spending. Let him draft, develop, trade, AND sign his way to a World Series contending lineup.

Connor:

SOCKS: Bring back Justin Turner

I’m with Kate on this one; bringing JT back makes too much sense not to do it. He has every intention of playing again, and enjoyed his time in Seattle. I would feel uneasy at best penciling him in for an everyday role at 1B/DH, but as a reliable bench bat and unofficial hitting coach? Sign me all the way up.

BIKE: Find an everyday third baseman

I’m as big of a #Rojomie as anybody, but outside of a scorching April, it was clear that Josh Rojas didn’t have the bat to be an ~everyday player, despite strong defensive marks at the hot corner. The hodgepodge of Rojas, Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss, and Cole Young could be enough to shore up second base, but as far as third goes, I’d love to fill that spot with an everyday guy who can bang. Alec Bohm from the Phillies could be an attractive trade target, and even *hurk* Alex Bregman *barf* from the free agency pool would represent a significant upgrade. If the M’s don’t decide to externally fill the keystone for a fourth straight offseason, plugging third would be a lovely alternative.

PONY: Sign Juan Soto

It’s not gonna happen. You and I and the girl reading this all know it’s not gonna happen. But man, there really isn’t a quicker and more exciting way to rocket this team to a division favorite than to back up all the Brinks trucks to bring Juan Soto to the PNW. Any marine layer concerns can easily be put to bed, as this bomb to left-center on a cold September night proves, and sure, he isn’t the greatest defensive outfielder, but when you rake that much? Quite a bit can be forgiven. Shock the baseball world, Mariners. Sign Juan Soto.

Jake M:

SOCKS: Sign Amed Rosario to a 1-year deal

The “Bring Back Justin Turner/Carlos Santana/insert veteran first baseman” agenda will likely dominate this category and with good reason; it makes sense for the team and it won’t break the bank for the M’s. Instead of joining the chorus, I’ll go out of my way to advocate for signing Amed Rosario to play the super-utility/right-handed bench bat role that Luis Urías so incapably filled this year. Rosario bounced around three teams in 2024, posting a 116 wRC+ for the Rays across 275 plate appearances before being traded to the Dodgers and then dumped to the Reds over the last two months of the season. He doesn’t hit for much pop, doesn’t walk much, but he has excellent bat-to-ball skills and can play anywhere across the diamond and can even fill in capably in the outfield.

BIKE: Trade for Brandon Lowe

Brandon Lowe is entering the final year of the seven-year extension he signed with the Rays back in 2019 and his $10.5 million salary in 2025 makes him the highest paid member of Tampa’s ballclub. He also has a club option for 2026 but I could see the perennially frugal franchise look to move him this offseason as they continue to reset their farm system after their contention window closed this year. Lowe would immediately step in as the starting second baseman for the M’s, providing plenty of left-handed power and on-base skills as a middle-of-the-order bat.

PONY: Allow MLB to take over operations of ROOT Sports

The age of the regional sports network is over. The time of centralized, league-owned media rights has come.

Investing in owning a regional sports network was a great idea for the Mariners … if they had done it back in 2000 instead of 2013 when the regional sports bubble was well on its way towards bursting. ROOT Sports is an awkward anchor on the team’s ability to do business in the 21st century, and the further deterioration of the regional sports bubble has made owning the network actively harmful to the Mariners ability to field a competitive roster. And let’s not forget the most important aspect of all this: the lack of accessibility to actually watch the games now that Comcast has relegated the network to their highest cable subscription packages. With both the Kraken and the Blazers out of the picture, the time is right to move on from ROOT Sports.

MLB has been proactive in acquiring the media rights for teams embroiled in the Diamond Sports bankruptcy proceedings, and a centralized hub for watching baseball, controlled by the league, is something that has come up quite frequently ever since Diamond went belly up. The Mariners really should just bite the bullet, allow MLB to take over operations of their broadcasts, and give the people of Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Anchorage, Boise, and all points in between a means to cut the cord and provide a simple streaming option via MLB.tv.

John:

SOCKS: Trade away a prospect to dump Mitch Haniger’s $15.5 million contract

You want cheap? The Seattle Mariners have got you covered, and I in turn have them covered. Seattle has a robust farm system, if somewhat top-heavy. What they have not shown in at least a decade is the creativity to improve their roster through free agency. Convincing another club to take on Haniger’s contract would take Seattle giving away minor league talent (and hurt my heart), but they could get someone lightly useful back, like when they dealt Jarred Kelenic away to let them ditch Marco Gonzales and Evan White’s contracts to receive a pair of lottery ticket RHPs in Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips. More importantly, the freed-up cash could be infused back to the roster for a more talented free agent or better-paid trade target.

BIKE: Sign Gleyber Torres to a 2-3 year deal

Similar to Jake’s plan above trading for Brandon Lowe, signing Torres is one of the simplest, most sensible fits of player and team need this winter. The market for the 27 year old Torres will be interesting, as the two-time All-Star (‘18 and ‘19) is among the youngest position players on the market, boasting both name recognition and a solid track record. However, he’s now just a second baseman, and outside a juiced-ball eruption of power, he’s settled in as a 15-25 homer hitter more than a 30 big fly guy. Because he is not a shortstop and is coming off a more average age-27 campaign, Torres stands likely to command $15-20 million per year on a shorter deal to earn another crack at free agency, a far cry from the top of the market. Perhaps of greatest appeal, beyond the excellent results the last time they signed a Yankees second baseman, is how Torres has posted consistently: the last time Torres was on the injured list was in 2021.

PONY: Trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. AND Bo Bichette

I love every other Pony on here, so I’ll introduce another option that’s not actually that difficult resource-wise, it’s just unclear if the Toronto Blue Jays are willing to pull the ripcord on their core. Both Vladito and Bo are up for free agency after the 2025 season, so this is a decision Toronto has to make one way or another in the next 365 days regardless. Guerrero brings an immediate thunderbolt improvement to Seattle’s lineup, with the added bonuses of both first crack for a contract extension and/or at minimum a guaranteed qualifying offer should he leave after the season, recouping some of the prospect value the M’s will deal away. Both things are also true of Bichette, despite his dismal 2024 numbers after playing through a calf strain that ultimately sidelined him for part of the season before a fractured finger finished the job. The combo of famous juniors would occupy the right side of Seattle’s infield immediately, or some sort of shared role with Bichette and J.P. Crawford could be sorted out at shortstop. Toronto’s run of contention in recent seasons has been admirable, but three Wild Card appearances and not a single victory in the playoffs since 2017 is unsatisfactory for a club repeatedly expected to be among the league’s best. An aging, flagging pitching staff and several flamed out pitching prospects leave Toronto teetering on the edge following a distant last place finish. Even if Bichette and Guerrero leave in free agency, the move affords Seattle the time to develop at least a handful of their talented position player prospects further as well, not to mention improving their roster more than any other AL West club is likely to in a single stroke.

Ezra:

SOCKS: Extend Randy Arozarena

Randy Arozarena brought a certain swagger, talent and attitude that had been lacking from recent Mariners teams. Moreover he played pretty well for the Mariners down the stretch. While not perfect, Randy brings solid defense, a good bat, and a winning attitude to a team that has seemingly lacked all three of those things over the course of last year. With two years of arbitration left on his contract, it makes perfect sense for the Mariners to keep Randy long term. At 30 years old the versatile outfielder lines up well with the Mariners philosophy of acquiring relatively young, cost-controllable talent and he fits what I will very tentatively call the Mariners championship window. Extending Randy should be both an easy decision to make and a simple goal to accomplish.

BIKE: Sign Pete Alonso

“There’s been a lot of talk about this being a bear market for first baseman, but for Pete’s sake it’s the polar opposite.” - Scott Boras

Scott Boras gave his annual pre-free agency press conference today and as usual instead of anything of substance let out a slew of terrible dad jokes based on the names of his clients. Despite this it’s time for the Mariners to pursue a big bat in free agency. The Mariners had three players with over 20 home runs, Cal Raleigh, Luke Raley, and Julio Rodríguez, and of those three only one, Cal, had over 60 RBIs. Alonso accomplished both of those feats and played every game last year, and by most metrics that would be considered a down year for him. It’s no secret the Mariners offense was downright putrid last year; bringing in Alonso would add a pop and danger to their lineup that hasn’t been present in a long time. Still, it’s likely that Alonso will look to reset the market for first baseman and is reportedly looking for a contract of between $185 and $200 million. The Mariners have been very hesitant to spend in the past, but if they are willing to open up the pocket book for once there’s no reason not to make this deal happen.

PONY: Find an everyday second baseman

While this seems on the surface like a totally reasonable task the Mariners seemed to have turned second base into their equivalent of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher position at Hogwarts, as everyone they put there seems to get ran out of town by the end of the season. Since the trade of Robinson Canó after the 2018 season, the Mariners have had a different starter at second base every single year. The only one who has had real staying power on the team has been Dylan Moore, and he got more innings at 3rd and shortstop last year. Since Canó, the Mariners have only gotten 2.8 WAR out of the position. If they can’t acquire someone at least serviceable, second base is going to continue to be a detriment to the team in both the lineup and the field. However, knowing the Mariners, they will pull some mostly expired journeymen off the scrap heap that they will DFA in August.

Bee:

SOCKS: The team continues to improve their value options and fan events.

I’ve made it no secret here concerning my opinions on the team and how they have approached making the team and the game accessible to ALL of their fans, both critical of their failures, and praising of their accomplishments. This last season was, in my opinion, a huge step in the right direction, from bringing back an affordable Fan-Fest-Like event to the return of Buhner Buzz Night, and new in-game events like the Salmon Run and Hot Dogs From Heaven. But, progress aside, they could continue that path and take it to a whole new level. Perhaps the Mariners greatest off-field strength is the absolute sleeping giant of passion that resides in sports fans in the Pacific Northwest. This upcoming season I would like to see more meet-and-greets, more events, and of course even more value promotions. There is also room to improve the events they’ve introduced; as Kate has pointed out multiple times in multiple places, the upper decks are the heaven from which the hot dogs descend, and therefore that group of arguably the most die-hard of fans are getting left out. Also, Humpy never won. So, if nothing else, my socks wish is for a Humpy win in 2025.

BIKE: Sign Ha-Seong Kim

I would also be okay with Gleyber Torres, but I prefer the 29-year-old Kim because of his positional versatility, whereas we know Torres’ rigidity is why Jazz Chisholm played third for the Yankees. The Mariners don’t have a Jazz Chisholm, so I would prefer they sign someone who doesn’t mind moving around the diamond. But it’s not just Kim’s positional versatility that makes him an attractive addition. He has what the Mariners have lacked on the hot corner and the keystone: consistent, healthy, offensive presence. Kim experienced some injury in ‘24 (missed some time due to shoulder inflammation) and played in a decent 121 games (posting 2.6 fWAR), and was even better in ‘22 (3.6 fWAR) and ‘23 (4.2 fWAR), posting 150+ game seasons in each. The wRC+ sure isn’t turning heads, posting a 101 last year, a 110 in ‘23, and a 105 in ‘22, but it is consistent and it is above average, if only slightly. The sexy part of his line is his strikeout and walk rates, which is really what will sing to Mariners fans’ ears. The past three seasons he posted a sub-20% strikeout rate, with last season being his MLB-best at only 16.4%, and the last two seasons he has paired that with a walk rate above 12%.

PONY: Fix the damn stadium

Kate already said it and I am just here to wholeheartedly agree. If ownership wants to balk at the idea of the investment risk of free agents, then here is an investment with far less risk (and, coincidentally, could lower the investment risk of free agents, le gasp!). Change the outfield dimensions, get weird with them, weatherproofing, a new batter’s eye… I’m open to any and all ideas, and I don’t pretend to have the answers either. But real drastic change would not only help the on-field product, but would continue to build a better relationship between the team’s top offices and their fans. So much of the fan perception is one of apathy from the top, and if those in charge won’t go out and spend the moolah to get a Juan Soto-type, then the least they can do is take this easiest path to send a message to their fans that they aren’t going to settle for more of the barely-missing-the-playoffs-same.

Grant:

SOCKS: Add an infielder!

I don’t think anybody here had high expectations for Justin Turner; he seemed like a nice addition, but not one that would significantly move the needle. Instead, he provided the beloved cliche of “veteran leadership” and actual on-field contributions, slashing .264/.363/.403 en route to a 126 wRC+. That’s a solid combination, and one that would play well in the Mariners’ 2025 infield. You’re well within your rights to worry about a 40-year-old remaining at the top of his game, of course, so why don’t we dream big? Let’s consider this an admonishment to add any real-life, bona fide starting infielder. We can surely avoid the Luis Urías bargain bin this year, and instead add/retain someone out of whom we can expect league-average play.

BIKE: A long-term extension for a young cornerstone

The best way to build a great team is to acquire good young players and keep them around. (Wow, so bold.) To Jerry Dipoto’s credit, the Mariners have done the first part of that tandem, with a crop of starting pitchers that’s the envy of every team in the league. Now it’s time for the “keeping them” part to come to fruition. Whether it’s an extension for a pitcher already getting some raises in arbitration like Logan Gilbert or George Kirby, a deal for someone looking to guarantee a significant payday before going above the league minimum like Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, or a pact for a young bopper like Cal Raleigh, this would be a reasonable, responsible present on the doorstep.

PONY: Apparently, sign a significant free agent

It really shouldn’t be such an outlandish ask. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projects over $3.62 billion will be spent on free agents this offseason, a year after $3.05 billion was guaranteed across the league. That’s well over $100m per team, even including the teams that have clearly signaled their desire to sit this out (West Sacramento Athletics, anyone?). And the Mariners have spent lavishly in the past — obviously, most of us remember Robinson Canó’s spaceship landing in the PNW back in 2013, but we made a splash as recently as 2021 with Robbie Ray! That was just three years ago!

Instead, as the franchise is firmly entrenched in its Contending Era and despite prior reassurances that the team would re-invest in the on-field product when the team became good, we’re already seeing leaks spring up in the S.S. Mariner. A front office source clearly decided to tamp down expectations by telling Ken Rosenthal that “a contract of $100 million-plus for any free agent probably is outside [the Mariners’] budget.”

So rather than a realistic expectation — one befitting a team in the seventh-wealthiest city in America — this is apparently one step too far. We’ll get our Justin Turner contract and like it. Salary is increasing thanks to arbitration raises, after all! Isn’t that enough for you greedy folk?

Zach M:

SOCKS: A continued smooth recovery for Matt Brash

I didn’t see a lot of wishing for bullpen help, but the Mariners need it. Long the team’s biggest strength, Seattle’s relievers had a FIP that was just 15th in MLB this year, and by ERA, they were 9th, despite playing in the most pitcher friendly park. Outside of the Bombero Del Año, the Mariners were scrounging innings together.

What a difference a healthy Matt Brash would make. We haven’t heard word of a hiccup since his Tommy John Surgery in May, and he’s already back on the mound. I hope it’s not too much to wish for that he continue his recovery without incident and meet his projected return to MLB action of June 2025.

BIKE: Get J.P. Crawford back on track

After a career season in 2023 that earned him down ballot MVP votes, the beating heart of the Mariners played at a barely average-level in 2024. I blame four things. The first three are (1) repeated injury interruptions, (2) some bad batted-ball luck, and (3) expected regression from a career year that no one saw coming.

But the fourth culprit is more troubling: some reversion from the approach that brought him so much success. His swing rate went back up, as he swung at more pitches he could make contact with, rather than waiting out the pitches he should make contact with. It’s hardly a coincidence that his soft-contact rate ticked back up too. With his eye and contact ability, he has the luxury of not needing to fear two-strike counts. He can take a risk and let some hittable pitches that aren’t his pitches go by early in the count. He doesn’t have to be the best player on the team, but I wish for Driveline or Edgar or whoever to spend the winter getting this man back to his cornerstone status.

PONY: The continued demise of the Astros and Rangers

A big reason this season stung so much was because it was the Mariners’ best opportunity in a decade. But the Astros and the Rangers are, either despite or because of their inherently evil nature, incredibly well-run organizations. There’s no reason to expect they won’t get their act back together. So I’m just a boy sitting on top of a Santa Claus, asking him to bring me two diminished Texan MLB teams.