On Nov. 17, the Seattle Mariners opened up their offseason with arguably the best free agent signing they have ever made. Canadian first baseman Josh Naylor locked himself into Seattle for five years and $92.5 million. Since then there have been some significant deals. 

For the M’s, they dealt young catcher Harry Ford to the Washington Nationals in exchange for lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer. Additionally, they watched second baseman Jorge Polanco decline his player option and sign with the New York Mets for two years and $40 million. 

After the most successful season in Mariners history, they find themselves in the offseason with some serious holes in the roster. They were clearly on the nice list last year, but will they be this offseason? 

Let’s take a look at who is on the Mariners’ Christmas list this holiday season…

 

Kyle Tucker (RF) 

If Kyle Tucker is not a top priority for the M’s, then they are doing something wrong. Right field has been an achilles tendon for years, and it showed in the postseason last year. 

The platoon of Dominic Canzone, Victor Robles and Luke Raley was passable in the regular season (batting a combined 0.255) but completely flopped in October (batting a combined 0.102). None of them are bad by any means, but they are not great. That is where Tucker comes in. 

22 home runs, 73 RBI’s, 133 hits, 25 stolen bases, a 0.266 average and 0.464 slugging. In what was a down year for the 29-year-old corner outfielder, he still beat out Canzone, Robles and Raley all put together. Eight more homeruns, 13 more RBI’s, three less hits but 14 more stolen bases. 

Is he a cheap replacement for the three platoon men? Absolutely not. If they match his contract with the Cubs they will have to shell out $16.5 million for only one year. 

With 2025 being a below average season for Tucker, does his value dip? Probably not. Chances are the M’s will have to match or beat an offer north of $20 million per year. 

However, if you secure Tucker for even one season with the team you have right now, you turn yourself into arguably the best team in the entire American League. He is beyond worth it, and turns you from an ALCS runner up to a World Series contender. 

 

Kyle Tucker flips his bat while playing for the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball (Courtesy of The Sporting News).

 

Ketel Marte (2B)

Eugenio Suarez, Naylor and now Ketel Marte? If the M’s secure a deal for the 32-year-old second baseman then they will have almost completely gutted the Diamondbacks’ infield. 

Seattle has quite a few options for second base with Polanco leaving. They could roll out Cole Young, Leo Rivas, Ryan Bliss, Ben Williamson, or even call up Colt Emerson to fill the position. 

However, none of those options compare to the production that Marte will bring at the plate. A career 0.281 average, 0.823 OPS and 0.472 slugging. He averages 23 home runs a year, 77 RBI’s and 168 hits while only striking out 107 times per year. 

Arizona needs pitching, which Seattle has. The organizations are obviously friendly, considering last season’s deadline deals, making a Marte trade very plausible. 

The M’s would be inheriting a contract worth around $19 million a year that will last until 2032. What would they have to give up for that? Most likely a lot. 

However, Marte fills a gaping hole in the infield and rounds out this lineup nicely. Whatever you give up in exchange for him pales in comparison to the value that he adds to the squad. 

 

Getty Images
CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 07: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates after hitting a home run in the 7th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 07, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

 

Brendan Donovan (Utility)  

Will the M’s empty the bank for Marte and Tucker? Most likely not. But, they could get someone just as valuable for significantly cheaper.

Brendan Donovan could be the swiss-army knife that the Mariners are looking for. A career 0.282 average, 0.411 slugging and 0.772 OPS. He may not be the sexiest player out there, but to steal a phrase from Moneyball… he gets on base. 

His 0.353 OBP last year would rank him second on the Mariners right behind Cal Raleigh (0.359). His career OBP is 0.361, making him a significant threat at the plate. 

The Mariners are in need of a competent utility man. Somebody they can plug and play into any of their holes in the infield. Or, they could plop the 28 year old into the second base spot for the entire year, depending on his production at the plate. 

By all measures, Donovan is the ideal offseason pickup for the M’s. Young, versatile, a competent hitter, gets on base and most importantly… cheap (only about $5 million a year).

The St. Louis Cardinals need veteran starting pitchers, so a trade of Luis Castillo for Donovan is not completely out of the cards. If the M’s give up Castillo for Donovan, I’ll be a happy man.  

 

Brendan Donovan takign an at-bat for the St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball (Courtesy of Getty Images).

 

Jonah Heim (C) 

The Mariners need a cheap backup catcher. A lot of eyes have been on Mitch Garver returning… that would be a mistake. 

Instead, I offer Jonah Heim as a viable replacement. From the pool of free agent catchers, Heim is the youngest and the most comparable to Garver. 

He averages 18 home runs, 121 hits, 75 RBI’s and a 0.225 batting average every year. These stats are not exactly impressive, and Garver even beats out these averages by a fair margin. However, Garver’s production in Seattle these past two years is what makes me hesitant to bring him back. 

He has struggled ever since arriving in Seattle, only batting 0.207 in 2025 with nine home runs and 30 RBI’s. 2024 was not great either, batting 0.172 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI’s.  

Will Heim be that much better? I do not know. What I do know is that his contract with the Rangers was half the value of Garver’s two year deal with Seattle. If you match his deal from last year, you shell out $6 million a year for a part time catcher. I’ll take that deal. 

 

Jonah Heim geared up for the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball (Courtesy of the MLB).

 

With Naylor in Seattle for the long haul, the Mariners are on the doorstep of their first World Series appearance in franchise history. If they make at least one of these deals in the offseason, then they could have a very merry Christmas.