SEATTLE — Justin Hollander was in the middle of an extended conversation with media members on Sunday afternoon moments before news broke that slugger Eugenio Suárez had agreed to terms on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Reds.
Among the topics the Mariners’ general manager covered was explicitly on Suárez, a clubhouse and fan favorite in Seattle.
“We love Geno. We really do,” Hollander said at the club’s FanFest. “I think it’s unlikely that we’re able to get something done with him.”
Hollander added that the Mariners had remained in contact with Suárez’s representatives but also revealed what became increasingly evident throughout the offseason — that a reunion with the slugger didn’t align with the club’s roster outlook, in the immediate and long term.
Which itself painted a broader picture to the specific profile of player that the Mariners have been seeking since the Winter Meetings, over a duration that has been extremely — perhaps expectedly — quiet.
“What we don’t want to do is sign somebody who’s older but not better,” Hollander said. “And we do believe in our young players. We believe in our veteran players, too. There are likely going to be avenues for us to continue to get better — whether it’s over the next week or over the next six months — that we’ll explore. But we do want to give our guys runway to figure out things in the big leagues.”
The club aggressively pursued a reunion with Jorge Polanco before he signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets and has been prominently linked to Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan. But it’s clear that the front office is prioritizing runway for those in-house youngsters.
“That’s probably the highest upside version of the Mariners in the short and long term, is developing homegrown, star-level players and then ideally signing them and keeping them for a long time,” Hollander said. “But that doesn’t mean you want to forsake what you think are clear upgrades. I don’t want to get older for the sake of getting older. Like I said, if we can get better, I think we’re open-minded.”
The 22-year-old Young will be given every opportunity in camp to win the second-base gig — same for the 25-year-old Williamson at third base. Emerson, who’s just 20 years old but climbed three Minor League affiliates last year, has been working out at second base, third base and shortstop this offseason. He, too, will be given every chance to play his way onto the Opening Day roster — similarly to Julio Rodríguez in 2022.
Jerry Dipoto drew an even loftier comparison — to Ken Griffey Jr.’s early career trajectory — in an interview with the Mariners Radio Network.
COMPLETE MARINERS PROSPECT COVERAGE
“He’s one of those guys who’s not just going to knock on the door; he’s just going to knock it down,” Seattle’s president of baseball operations said of Emerson. “And you know when it’s happening and when you’re watching it. Kind of like Junior in 1989.
“The difference was — and I’ll say this with all due respect — [while] Junior was an amazing talent, the 1989 Mariners weren’t favored to win the AL West. This version is. And you have to step up and be ready to go, and we trust that if those guys come into Spring Training and do their thing and are ready to go, we’re going to give them their chance.”
Young and Williamson got a taste of The Show last season and, at times, showed they belong. But each wound up losing everyday reps by season’s end. Young ceded to Polanco, who became the regular second baseman down the stretch after the rookie’s struggles, and Williamson lost time after the club acquired Suárez at the Trade Deadline.
Young and Williamson come with more question marks than a more established hitter via trade or free agency, yet the front office points out that the hiccups each experienced in ’25 were expectedly part of player development. And while Emerson has as much upside as any position-player prospect in Seattle since Rodríguez, he’s nonetheless unproven at the MLB level.
Hollander suggested it’s “very possible” that the Mariners augment the roster before Opening Day. But not at the expense of playing time for the infield youngsters.
“This has always been about building steady and develop from within,” Dipoto said, “and build something that lasts for years and years. And the only way that works is if you give your young players reps.”
