The Mariners appear to be in the process of shuffling up their offense this winter. They’ve already informed longstanding shortstop and clubhouse leader J.P. Crawford that they’re planning to move on, reports Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. Jude and colleague Ryan Divish further report that the M’s won’t pursue a long-term deal with Randy Arozarena but do have interest in fellow free-agent corner outfielder Seiya Suzuki. As is the case with Arozarena, Suzuki received a $23.15MM qualifying offer that he is expected to reject.
Starting with the outfielders, the disparity in interest might seem odd at first glance. Suzuki and Arozarena are both 32-year-old corner outfielders with plus power. They’re coming off similar seasons, and there’s expected to be a good bit of overlap in their markets.
However, while the two have similar track records and platform seasons, there are some underlying metrics that might cause a team to lean toward Suzuki. There’s no clear indication of the Mariners’ reasoning, but Suzuki is coming off the better defensive season and has the sort of plus arm that’s generally needed for a right fielder. Arozarena is more confined to left field; his arm strength on throws from the outfield ranked in just the 32nd percentile of big league outfielders, with an average velocity of 82.1 mph. Suzuki’s sat in the 85th percentile, with an average velocity of 89.9 mph.
For the Mariners, that could prove key. Divish writes in a separate piece that the M’s are looking at the possibility of playing top infield prospect Michael Arroyo in left field next year. Since Arozarena isn’t an option in right field, that’d relegate him to DH work. Suzuki, meanwhile, could share time with Dominic Canzone between right field and designated hitter.
Offensively, there are gaps to consider as well. Arozarena has the better average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, but Suzuki swings considerably harder, barrels more balls and draws more walks. Traditionally, both hitters have made hard contact at plus levels. Suzuki’s high-end bat speed and plate discipline create some optimism that this year’s dip in premium contact could simply be a short-term aberration. Arozarena, meanwhile, lost nearly two miles per hour in bat speed from 2025 to 2026. He maintained strong quality of contact, but further losses in bat speed could prove problematic.
Also, while it’s impossible to know what happens behind closed doors, there was an early spat this season between Arozarena and franchise catcher Cal Raleigh when they met as opponents during the World Baseball Classic. Raleigh explained after the fact that the two are Mariners teammates and brothers, but he declined a handshake with Arozarena in a “competitive environment” where he had a “responsibility for [his] teammates” on Team USA and to his country, which prompted Arozarena to cuss him out in postgame comments. Arozarena said after the fact that he reached out and apologized to Raleigh directly. He stressed that the two had buried the hatchet and were indeed “brothers and teammates.” Raleigh, too, emphasized in the days ahead that there was “no beef” between them. It’s possible that’s all water under the bridge and plays zero role in the team’s free agent preferences, but it’s at the very least some relevant context.
As for Crawford, the writing has seemingly been on the wall regarding his departure. Crawford himself approached the Mariners this summer about sliding over to third base, both as a means of covering for the injured Brendan Donovan and also to pave the way for shortstop-of-the-future Colt Emerson, who’d signed a contract extension before even making his MLB debut. It was a selfless, team-first act that only further endeared Crawford to fans and teammates. However, Donovan is still controlled into next season, and Emerson should be healthier after playing through a wrist injury that required surgery.
Crawford could feasibly handle second base, but Cole Young had a nice year at that position and looks like the primary option there moving forward. That’s contributed in part to Arroyo’s move to the outfield. Perhaps if the Mariners prefer to use Donovan in a multi-position role, and the Mariners haven’t brought in a third baseman by late in the offseason, a Crawford reunion could still come about, but it seems likely he’ll be searching for a new club this winter.
There are any number of options for the Mets to consider at third base and in the outfield, but Divish and Jude suggest the preference is to bring in right-handed bats. That distinction plays a role in the team’s lack of interest in signing NPB star Teruaki Sato — at least at the prices he’s expected to command — as the M’s are already deep in lefty hitters, many of whom have swing-and-miss issues (as Sato also does). At the moment, Julio Rodriguez and the switch-hitting Raleigh are the only righties in the Seattle lineup. There are some righty options in the bench competition (e.g. Ryan Bliss, Jhonny Pereda, Brennen Davis and switch-hitters Leo Rivas and Brock Rodden), but none of them are proven against big league pitching.
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