SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners’ outfield is set for 2025.
That was the word from president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto in late September, and that idea of playing alongside Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles for a full season elicited a positive reaction from star center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
“That’s something that I’m really looking forward to, like everybody back healthy, relying on each other a lot for the whole year,” Rodriguez said at the end of the season. “I feel like that’s something that’s going to be really fun to watch.”
It’s a sentiment Arozarena shared.
“It feels great. Just the three outfielders, we have a lot of communication and we’re very close,” Arozarena said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “It’s that special bond, just knowing that the team has that defense back there, and then when we’re all at our best, we have guys that can get on the base, steal and produce runs.
“You can see Victor stealing home runs all the time, and between me and Julio, now we’re just gonna be robbing the entire time. I’m looking forward to it.”
As the Mariners close the door on the 2024 season and begin in earnest to plan for 2025, we begin a series of offseason position analyses with an overview of the outfield. Here’s where things stand:
Depth chart
Left field: Randy Arozarena, Dylan Moore, Dominic Canzone
Center field: Julio Rodriguez, Victor Robles, Luke Raley
Right field: Victor Robles, Luke Raley, Mitch Haniger, Cade Marlowe
Key number
3.2 – Victor Robles’ fWAR in just 77 games with the Mariners
Key offseason question
What could a full season of Rodriguez, Arozarena and Robles look like in 2025?
Key quote
“The magnetism that we got from Vic and from Randy – our team was playing a very static and sometimes very boring game for a number of months, and those guys brought some life to our team.” – Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball ops
Overview
The Mariners, as Arozarena suggested, could have an elite outfield defense, and if all three players carry over their late-season surges into 2025, they’ll have one of baseball’s most potent offensive outfields, too.
Rodriguez, in his third season, had a frustrating start to his age-23 season, finishing with career lows in most offensive categories. He slashed .247/.297/.327 (.624 OPS) with an 86 wRC+(100 is average) through June and missed out on an All-Star selection for the first time. He was heating up in July (1.121 OPS) when he suffered a high ankle sprain crashed into the wall trying to make a catch on July 21.
Working closely with Edgar Martinez, Rodriguez was healthy again by September and finished the season with a flourish, hitting .328 with an .895 OPS and a 156 wRC+ over his final 126 plate appearances. The September surge, he said, was “really important” for him to close out the season.
“Being able to finish the season knowing that you feel good, that you kind of checked your boxes off, especially later in the year, it kind of drive some good (vibes) into the offseason,” he said.
It was a similarly strong finish for Robles and Arozarena.
Robles revived his career after signing with the Mariners in early June, shortly after the Washington Nationals released their former top prospect. He became an everyday player for the Mariners after Rodriguez’s injury in July and in just 77 games, finished second on the team in doubles (20) and steals (30). (Dylan Moore led the team in both categories, with 23 doubles and 32 steals.)
After taking over the leadoff spot, Robles was one of MLB’s hottest hitters over the final two months, and the Mariners signed him to a two-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $9.75 million through 2026. The Mariners have Robles penciled in as their starting right fielder and leadoff hitter going into next season.
“Vic’s an energizer,” Dipoto said. “He brings life to the group.”
Arozarena was the most prominent bat available at July’s trade deadline, and the Mariners acquired him from Tampa Bay for three solid prospects (OF Aidan Smith, RHP Brody Hopkins and RHP Ty Cummings).
After a slow start with Seattle, Arozarena turned it on in September and finished with a 122 wRC+ in 54 games with the Mariners.
“It was tough to leave a place that you were for four years. Tampa is a place that is home,” Arozarena said. “But you come here and the way these guys were able to pick me up like within a week, I was able to see all the love everybody was showing me and the way things are done here, and I was just able to adapt pretty quick.”
Entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, Arozarena is projected to make between $11-12 million in 2025.
Luke Raley had a strong first season in Seattle, hitting 22 homers with a 129 wRC+ while playing all three outfield spots and first base. He projects as an ideal fourth outfielder (and important left-handed bat), but the Mariners also entered the offseason with Raley penciled in as the strong side of a 2025 platoon at first base.
Mitch Haniger, as expected, has exercised his $15.5 million player option for 2025, per an industry source. When Dominic Canzone landed on the injured list in April, Haniger had a productive stretch in a regular role in right field early in the season. But his playing time tapered off when Dan Wilson took over as manager, and Haniger’s role on the team for 2025 is unclear.