The Seattle Mariners fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in painful fashion. In a traditional Mariners way, they blew a late-inning lead thanks to a questionable decision by their manager. Dan Wilson, who had one of the best closers in baseball at his disposal, instead inserted arguably his third-best relief pitcher (if we can even call him that) Eduardo Bazardo into the game to face George Springer. The Blue Jays slugger – who had 22 postseason home runs to his name at the time – delivered once again with a seventh-inning, three-run homer to give the Blue Jays a Game 7 lead they wouldn't relinquish in the final innings.
Rather than making their first World Series in almost a half-century, the Mariners lost, once again, with their backs against the wall. This Seattle team was supposed to be different, in part because they added some pieces at the MLB trade deadline. This one has to hurt for Seattle baseball fans, which invested so much in the team and defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games just a series ago. That Game 5 took 15 innings, as the Mariners won an improbable matchup against the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal.
A late lead in Game 7 of the ALCS wasn't enough, and as a result the 2026 Mariners will look much different from the 2025 team that came oh so close to reaching paydirt – an American League pennant.
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These Mariners free agents won't return in 2026
Josh Naylor
While Josh Naylor's long-term position is up for debate, there is no questioning his commitment to a winning organization. Naylor was one of the Mariners best players down the stretch, and he was a big reason why they were able to overtake the Houston Astros in the second half. Naylor had a 3.1 bWAR and .816 OPS this past season. In an offseason without much position player gold to be found, he should receive a lump sum the Mariners will have a tough time matching. Bleacher Report projects Naylor to get a contract near $100 million, which Seattle would probably be better off replacing internally, thanks to his age.
"At 28 years old, Naylor is one of the younger players in this free-agent class, and he has proven to be a reliable middle-of-the-order run producer over the past few seasons. Expect the Mariners to push hard to keep him around," Joel Reuter wrote.
Reuter thinks Naylor will get a deal worth close to $95 million when all is said and done. Given the contract Pete Alonso is chasing, I wouldn't be surprised if Naylor emerges as an enticing backup plan for teams chasing a high-profile slugger in free agency
Caleb Ferguson
The Mariners acquired relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline. Ferguson was a solid addition by Seattle in the moment, but he's always been a rental. That likely won't change this winter, when relief arms are at a premium. On the season, Ferguson had a sub-4 ERA with a bWAR just under 1.0 Ferguson is also an innings-eater, so he may have to wait until later this winter to find a new team, but he has a place on another contender unless Seattle gets desperate.
“We are excited to add Caleb and fortify our bullpen down the stretch,” said Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations Hollander back in July. “He’s been one of the most reliable left-handed relievers in the game and adds postseason experience to our group.”
Ferguson pitched well enough to receive a greater contract than he's worth from another team, whether it be a contender or not. If the Mariners are smart, they'll let him walk.
Eugenio Suarez
This is the big one. Suarez is a Mariners fan favorite, but he was also a rental when Seattle acquired him. Suarez was supposed to be the big bat the Mariners needed to make a postseason run. Instead, he hit under the Mendoza line after Seattle acquired him, which is why Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris felt comfortable alluding to his performance in their end-of-season press conference. Harris used Suarez has his primary reason for not trading prospects at the deadline to add a big bat.
Suarez performed well enough in the playoffs, and his overall numbers are good enough that he should receive a decent contract this winter. Suarez's worth will depend on who signs him, but he had 49 home runs to his name this season. That's power worth paying for, even if he had a brutal second half. Suarez is also a more-than-capable corner infielder who doesn't need to be transitioned to DH just yet. That's more than we can say about other power bats this winter.
Not all Mariners stars will leave this winter
Andres Muñoz
Mariners fans, I come in peace. Thankfully for Seattle, their closer has a club option this winter. If they're smart, they'll make it clear in their end-of-season press conference that they intend on keeping Muñoz, who was their best relief pitcher in the regular season and postseason. Heck, it can (and should) be argued that Dan Wilson ought to have inserted Muñoz into Game 7 to face George Springer, but who am I to play wanna-be manager?
Muñoz had 38 saves and an ERA well under 2.00. That's good enough for me and the Mariners, which should be able to keep him around on a club option for just $7 million next season. While every front office seems to think they can put together a productive bullpen with spare parts, finding a proven closer is tougher than it seems. Muñoz has proven he can be that, even when it matters most. That's a starting point, at the very least, especially if Ferguson has a foot out the door.