The Mariners are looking for offensive help and the versatility of Brendan Donovan could be an important factor in that search. Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times report that the M’s are looking for two bats, with a preference for righties. Ideally, one of these bats would play on the left side of the infield. That could push Donovan from the infield to left field next year with the expected departure of Randy Arozarena.
Donovan’s first year in Seattle was a bust. He went on the injured list multiple times due to groin issues and a concussion. He only got into 39 games on the year. He continued to perform when healthy enough to take the field. He hit .277/.371/.409 in his 159 plate appearances, fairly similar to his career line of .282/.362/.411. Defensively, Donovan has experience everywhere except for center field and the battery.
The M’s could keep him at third base next year, next to shortstop Colt Emerson. However, the report from Jude and Divish notes that the Mariners are hoping to improve their infield defense. Defensive metrics like Donovan’s work at third base in his career but he fared poorly in 2026. He was ranked as below average by each of Defensive Runs Saved, Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value. Emerson also didn’t grade out well in his rookie season at shortstop or third, so it seems the Mariners are open to shaking things up.
On the other hand, it might be simpler to just add a new corner outfielder, as the market has more options there. The Mariners have already been connected to Seiya Suzuki. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that Ian Happ is another free agent outfielder who is of interest to them.
Happ, 32, has ten seasons with the Cubs under his belt. He hit at least 11 home runs in each of those, including at least 21 in the four most recent campaigns. The switch-hitter usually draws plenty of walks as well. Defensively, the reviews are mixed. In his time as an outfielder, he has been credited with 39 DRS but minus-13 OAA and minus-2 FRV.
Like Suzuki and Arozarena, Happ is going into his age-32 season. He is likely to be more affordable because his 2026 campaign was fairly uneven. He finished with a .218/.326/.412 line and 107 wRC+, meaning he was 7% better than league average on the whole. But he struggled as the season went along, particularly against left-handed pitching. The Cubs were platooning him with Tyrone Taylor in the final months of the season.
Despite some flaws, Happ does a lot of things well, enough that MLBTR predicted him for a three-year, $45MM deal. That’s a decent sum but well below the projections for Suzuki and Arozarena, who were pegged for $105MM and $100MM respectively on four-year deals. Happ also didn’t receive a qualifying offer, unlike Suzuki and Arozarena, and is therefore not tied to any draft pick forfeiture.
It would perhaps be simpler for the Mariners to target a corner outfielder to replace Arozarena and then keep Donovan at third, though the club’s desire to improve defensively might push against that. Free agency doesn’t have amazing infield options available, especially with the Mariners seemingly committed to letting J.P. Crawford walk away.
Mauricio Dubón is a glove-first utility guy and he does hit from the right side, though he’s never been an impact bat. It’s also possible he just re-signs with Atlanta, since that club has a big hole at shortstop and is familiar with Dubón. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Edmundo Sosa and Ha-Seong Kim are other righty bats with solid defensive reputations and multi-positional abilities, though usually without providing much offense.
Of course, with the Mariners, the trade market is always a possibility. That’s especially the case this offseason, as the rotation seems to be overflowing. There has been chatter about the Mariners trading a starter for years but it feels it has to happen this winter. Pitching surpluses can be eroded by injuries but the Mariners had too many arms at many points in 2026, leading to awkward six-man rotation arrangements and some piggybacking scenarios.
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto was asked about the rotation this week and essentially said the Mariners will listen but don’t really need to trade a starter. “Will we move a starter? Not certainly. Could we? We could,” he said, per Jude. “We want to make our team better and more complete. And if the best way to access upgrades for our offense or upgrades that improve our defense and our offense collectively, then we have to be open-minded to it.”
Dipoto went on to say that he considered the Mariners to be “eight-deep” in the rotation, referring to Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, Kade Anderson, Ryan Sloan and Logan Evans. Those pitchers come with varying degrees of salary, club control, track record and/or prospect pedigree, creating almost infinite trade possibilities for the M’s to explore this winter.
Trading from that rotation could potentially get the Mariners the position players they are looking for but upgrading the bullpen is also a priority. The report from Jude and Divish notes that the Mariners would like to add at least two leverage relievers this offseason. MLBTR took a look at Seattle’s bullpen pursuits earlier this week.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
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