After disappointing finish to banner season, ample roster decisions await hungry Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) — A freshly shaven Dan Wilson, who shed his playoff mustache after the Seattle Mariners were eliminated by Toronto in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, was carrying the weight of just how the franchise was to its first World Series three days later.

“Like I told the team after the game, it does sting,” the manager said Thursday. “I’m not sure how long the sting’s going to last. For a lot of us, it’s a tough way to go out, and it’s a tough way to end a pretty outstanding season, and in some ways overshadows a lot of the positives that have happened.”

Much went right for the Mariners on the way to their first AL West title since 2001. But they remain in search of the team’s first World Series berth.

Catcher Cal Raleigh became the seventh player in major league history to hit 60 homers in a season, making a strong case for AL MVP in his first season after signing a $105 million, six-year contract.

“The number of records that he started to break, it was a phenomenal season,” president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “If it wasn’t the best season a catcher’s ever had, it certainly was one of the best two. I don’t know what else he could have done.”

While Raleigh and fellow franchise cornerstone Julio Rodríguez are signed through the remainder of the decade, the Mariners are going to have to make some decisions on pending free agents who were key contributors in 2025.

Both third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor, each of whom Dipoto acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the trade deadline, are free agents. Dipoto said the Mariners will need to address first base, and that bringing back Naylor is a priority. Wilson spoke highly of the impact Naylor had on the Mariners over his three months with the franchise.

“You need that intensity. You need that drive,” Wilson said. “I think his drive to win is incredible also. And that’s what you’re going to need from all your guys, and that’s a big part of what he brought to this club.”

Seattle also will have to make a decision on Suárez. The Mariners could turn the keys over to rookie third baseman Ben Williamson, who made his major league debut in 2025 and was the club’s everyday option before trading for Suárez.

“We’re going to have to be a little choosier with how we implement our young players,” Dipoto said, “but they’re going to play a big part in what we do now and moving forward.”

Second baseman Jorge Polanco, meanwhile, has a player option worth $6 million for next year. But he could be in line for a bigger contract after a rebound season.

“I don’t want to answer for him,” Dipoto said. “I imagine we will have to take a different route than is already on the table.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Whatever direction the Mariners choose to take with the likes of Suárez, Naylor and Polanco, it is abundantly clear the franchise does not want arguably its most successful of 49 seasons to be an aberration.

Wilson, who was the Mariners’ everyday catcher in 1995 when they went to the ALCS and in 2001 when Seattle won 116 games, is confident this club has the makeup to avoid being a one-hit wonder.

“I don’t worry about that with our guys,” Wilson said. “Our guys are fighters. I think they’ve shown that time and time again. And the way they played, particularly September and towards the end of the season into the playoffs, these guys fight. That’s something that you have to have, and you have to have to get to the World Series.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb