It’s almost too easy. The cliches around the holiday season are aplenty to describe the Seattle Mariners offseason moves or lack thereof.
Take your pick:
Mariners getting nothin’ for Christmas
Santa forgot about Seattle
No presents for Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander
The Grinch who stole all the first baseman
But the organization’s continued refusal to invest in player payroll and the inability to upgrade the roster to be something more than competitive has developed into a sad cliché: “Same Ol’ Mariners.”
But as the new year approaches and the Mariners remaining largely absent from the Hot Stove season, it’s fair for fans to be anxious, angry or apathetic about the teams’ projected roster of the 2025 season.
This past weekend was particularly galling for the organization and fan base as they watched the market for first basemen — a position they planned to upgrade via free agency — get depleted with a series of signings and trades.
Back on Dec. 9 at the MLB Winter Meetings, Dipoto, the Mariners president of baseball operations, said: “It is a fairly deep free-agent market at first base, spanning anything from Gold Glove All-Stars to veterans who maybe play more of a role and just about everything in-between. If we’re looking at the broad picture, in one spot there’s certainly more availability.”
So, about that availability …
It started on Friday when the Astros and free-agent first baseman Christian Walker reached an agreement on a three-year, $60 million contract. The Mariners had interest in signing Walker, but didn’t have the payroll budget — at the moment — to make such an offer.
In the days that followed, Cleveland traded Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a reliever and a compensatory draft pick. The Rangers sent Nathaniel Lowe to the Nationals so they could sign free agent Joc Pederson as a designated hitter.
The Yankees picked up veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year, $12.5 million contract.
But the most crushing blow to Seattle’s offseason plans came Saturday when they were notified that free-agent first baseman Carlos Santana — a primary target this offseason — had eschewed their contract offers to sign a one-year, $12 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Mariners coveted the 38-year-old Santana for a variety of reasons. They knew him from the half season he played in 2023. He was solid defensively, having won the Gold Glove with the Twins last season, he was a switch hitter with power from the right side, which fit well in a platoon with Luke Raley, and he brought a leadership aspect to the clubhouse that was greatly needed.
Despite his age, the Mariners offered Santana what was essentially a two-year guaranteed contract. Seattle was willing to give him a one-year contract with a player option for the 2026 season.
It’s a reason why they felt so confident they would get him signed before the holidays.
But Santana opted to return to Cleveland — the organization that acquired him at age 22 in a trade with the Dodgers and helped him reached the big leagues.
The Mariners had a better offer and finished second. Why?
Well, there was the sentimental aspect of returning to Cleveland, a place where he was beloved as a player and started his family.
But Santana also understood that playing for the Guardians allowed him to be closer to his wife and children and his offseason home in Kansas City.
Per MLB sources, Santana was leaning toward returning to the Mariners and reuniting with good friend Julio Rodriguez. But when the Guardians traded Naylor, they focused on a reunion with Santana.
And his loyalty to the organization and the city that helped him grow over his first eight big league seasons (2010-17) and then brought him back for two more seasons (2019-20) after trading him to the Phillies.
Sources said that Santana was “torn” on the decision to the very end.
Santana’s loyalty to Cleveland has forced the Mariners to change their offseason plans significantly.
The first-base market is less broad.
Pete Alonso is still available, but his contract demands are well out of the Mariners’ limited payroll budget. Seattle could turn to Justin Turner, who they acquired at the MLB trade deadline last season.
The Mariners loved Turner’s presence in the clubhouse and his willingness to help young hitters with their approach. They engaged in preliminary contract talks with him early in the offseason, but shifted their focus to Santana. They may have to re-engage those talks with Turner.
The other free agents:
• Ty France
• Mark Canha
• Donovan Solano
• Connor Joe
• Jake Bauers
• Yuli Gurriel
• Josh Bell
• Anthony Rizzo
Not exactly a list of prime candidates.
They could also look to the trade market with Giants first baseman Lamont Wade Jr. and the Rays’ Yandy Diaz available for potential deals.
Both the Giants and Rays would be looking for MLB talent in return for those players, something the Mariners don’t want to do.
Some MLB insiders believe that Dipoto and Hollander may shift their focus to acquiring a third baseman or second baseman — both positions of need — in a trade and roll with a platoon of Raley and Tyler Locklear at first base. It should be noted that Mitch Garver has also played some first base in his career.
While the Mariners have engaged in more trade talks with teams about possibly moving Luis Castillo, a potential trade seems a little less likely with potential suitors adding pitchers via free agency.
Any optimism, most of cautious and guarded, concerning the Mariners offseason has likely eroded in this offseason of inaction.
Can it be restored in the days and weeks ahead?