This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SEATTLE — The World Series is still underway, meaning that the Mariners and the rest of the league can’t yet get going on their major Hot Stove transactions, as those are on hold until five days after the Fall Classic between the Blue Jays and Dodgers concludes.
But given that it’s right around the corner, here’s a primer on where things stand in Seattle as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander take center stage.
Which players are free agents? Are any of them likely to receive a qualifying offer?
LHP Caleb Ferguson
RHP Luke Jackson
1B Josh Naylor
3B Eugenio Suárez
Naylor will be the prevailing storyline in Seattle until he signs, either with the Mariners in a reunion that would turn a successful summer fling into a long-term relationship or if the first baseman jets elsewhere, leaving Seattle at the altar.
This is going to come down to the contract itself, because Naylor made it clear in his three months here after the Trade Deadline that he loved the clubhouse and fan base, and — perhaps more than anything — he had no fear of hitting at T-Mobile Park, which has long been a detriment to luring free-agent bats.
“I think that the best thing that you can hope for when you acquire someone,” Hollander said, “is they go play great, you go deep in the playoffs, they love it and want to be here. And I think we checked all those boxes, so we’ll try and figure it out.”
Naylor is ineligible for the $22.025 million qualifying offer — which is a one-year deal calculated by averaging MLB’s 125 highest salaries — because he was traded midseason. The same can be said for Suárez, while Ferguson and Jackson won’t be considered, either.
The Mariners will have more money to spend than in any recent offseason — in the $30 million to $35 million range for 2026 — which should give them ample room to bring back Naylor and still address their other needs.
Which players have contract options?
C/DH Mitch Garver ($12 million mutual option; $1 million buyout)
RHP Andrés Muñoz ($7 million club option)
2B/DH Jorge Polanco ($6 million vesting player option)
These decisions will also come in the days after the World Series, with Muñoz’s option being the only obvious of these three to be exercised.
Polanco will be among the more fascinating players on the entire market this winter, given that he’s netted a decent guarantee for 2026 but will likely forgo that to earn more. There is legitimate interest to bring him back, but doing so will probably cost double both the option’s value and length.
Garver, meanwhile, is in the opposite position — as there’s a possibility that the Mariners would bring the backup catcher back as a bridge to Seattle’s top catching prospect Harry Ford (per MLB Pipeline), but at a significantly lower salary than his mutual option.
Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when does the club have to make that decision?
Teams have until Nov. 21 to decide whether to tender a contract to each of their arbitration-eligible players. Those not tendered a contract will become free agents.
Among those criteria, reliever Tayler Saucedo is the clearest candidate, given that this is his second year of eligibility, that he’d earn at least the $937,500 figure from last year and that he spent most of 2025 with Triple-A Tacoma, where the lefty also missed two months with a left lat strain.
Fellow reliever Gregory Santos is another interesting case, given that he’s eligible for the first time this offseason but has pitched in just 16 games over the past two years.
Then there’s Trent Thornton, who’s been a great clubhouse presence but is recovering from a torn right Achilles and will miss a portion of 2026. He earned $2 million last year in his second season of eligibility.
Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to avoid the Rule 5 Draft?
Teams have until Nov. 18 to decide whether to add prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from being selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in December.
The Mariners’ 40-man is currently at 38 players, but they will need to add four players back from the 60-day injured list, creating a crunch that will also factor into their Rule 5 decisions.
