Why the Mariners Disappointing Offseason is so Disappointing After all

Unlike most I’m not upset with this Mariners offseason, for I think the front office of Dipoto and Hollander quietly did a good job at setting us up for the long term. Now Mariners fans do not want to hear the long term after only making the playoffs once since the 2001 season, and after the ending of the 2024 season that saw a skid in the middle of the season giving the division away in an instant along with the termination of the former 8 season skipper for the Mariners.

               Mariners re-signed Jorge Polanco and signed Donovan Solano who are both aging infielders that in the case of Polanco didn’t provide much of a spark last year for the Mariners. Solano on the other hand supposedly is an underrated signing as he has been one of the more consistent players in the MLB the last few seasons. These pickups do not move the needle for most of the Mariners fans but I fear we are not as a fanbase thinking critically and jumping to egregious conclusions.

               The constant talk about how John Stanton doesn’t want to win or spend money (Which I believe to be partially true in some aspects) is a notion that has gained so much traction and overshadowed the actual reality of the off-season. Since 2021 the Mariners have finished above .500 each season and played for a playoff spot in the final week of the season. In these past 4 seasons the Mariners have offloaded many prospects in trades for MLB ready players and at the same time replenished their farm back to an elite level, and maybe even better than before.

This leads me to the fact that I cannot as a critically and logically thinking individual blame John Stanton for lashing out so much money on another bad contract. I would love to sign a third baseman like Alex Bregman or a Shortstop like Willy Adames but avoiding long and heavy contracts that would block prospects and fill up and infield that has many top 100 prospects arriving soon would be tragic. I mean lets take a look at the newest MLB.com top 100 prospect list.

#20 Colt Emerson SS/3B

#42 Lazaro Montes OF

#49 Cole Young SS/2B

#65 Harry Ford C

#74 Felnin Celesten SS

#96 Jonny Farmelo OF

#98 Michael Arroyo 2B/SS

I mean seriously we could have a whole infield of just our infield prospects listed in MLB.com’s top 100. There has been talk in the past about a Harry Ford position change too with Cal Raleigh as any almost everyday catcher. I think realistically that happens where him and Cal both split time at DH in the future and probably sometime in this season. Harry Ford gives me Daulton Varsho vibes almost. I think he has a similar build only 3 pounds and 2 inches above what Varsho has. Along he’s graded a 60 run which is 5 higher than Varsho. Would love to see the Mariners development team make Harry Ford a utility catcher sometime this year. I also see no rush to bring up prospects as this team doesn’t feel like they really need to get a guy up to fill a spot barring some injuries.

               With 4 maybe 5 top 100 infield prospects we could accidentally do some serious damage to their development if we end up signing someone to a long and hefty contract that they don’t live up too. The replacement player being a top prospect and with 6 years of cheap control it seems like a no brainer to wait to spend. I think its not that the Mariners (John Stanton) are reluctant to spend but they want to make sure that they won’t block their top prospects. Along with this the Mariners are set up really well for their prospects to come up while the current infielder’s contracts expire. JP Crawford’s contract is set to expire in 2026 the same time Colt Emerson should be making a highly awaited debut to the show and Jorge Polanco this year in 2025 or 2026 as he has an option as well. Donoval solano of course only signed to a one-year deal so his contract is up at the end of the season meaning come 2026 the Mariners might be looking at an infield of

               1B – Replacement player

               2B – Michael Arroyo

               SS – Colt Emerson

               3B – Cole Young

With this we see a spot for a free agent or maybe Tyler Locklear at first base and then we also have 3 infielders who are all highly touted and with 6 years of control. I think as hard as it is to say we as mariners fans need to be patient because come 2028 this team should be set up for a long run of dominance and while we want to win now (which I believe this is a playoff team) we have to also think about the future even if the front office has been thinking about the future for so long.