The Biggest Spring Training Storylines For the Mariners
Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger gets ready to swing at a pitch.
Pitchers and catchers officially reported for the Mariners down in Peoria, Arizona today, marking the beginning of a Spring Training that is atypical in many ways and a bit lacking in intrigue. Seattle’s major-league roster remains relatively unchanged from the last time the club took the field back in late September, so there aren’t as many questions left to be answered or position battles to watch play out over the coming weeks.
That said, there are still a few important storylines to follow before the Mariners kick off the 2025 regular season against the Athletics on March 27. Let’s go over a few of them.
Dan Wilson’s first spring at the helm
Despite the Mariners falling short of the postseason in 2024, Wilson is riding a wave of momentum into his first full year as Seattle’s skipper. His ballclub went 21-13 in the games he managed following Scott Servais’ dismissal on August 22, led by an offensive turnaround that saw the Mariners go from one of the league’s worst hitting teams to ranking third among all MLB teams in wRC+ (125) and fifth in runs scored (173) over their final 34 games. The honeymoon period has passed and the dynamic has shifted, however; Wilson is no longer the “cool new substitute teacher” and is expected to produce results. As such, these next few weeks will be critical as he looks to capitalize on the positives of those 34 games and establish his culture and vision for the Mariners moving forward.
At the very least, Wilson hasn’t had to make a ton of introductions over the course of the offseason and in his first few days down in Peoria. The 26-man roster projects to be very similar to the one Seattle ended its 2024 campaign with, save for the arrival of Donovan Solano and the departures of Josh Rojas, Justin Turner, and a couple of bullpen pieces. Much of the coaching staff that served under Servais for years remains intact as well, minus former field coordinator Carson Vitale who accepted the Marlins’ bench coach opening this winter. Edgar Martínez is still overseeing Seattle’s offensive operations as he did when Wilson took over, only with fewer travel obligations and the shiny new title of senior director of hitting strategy. Kevin Seitzer and Bobby Magallanes will replace Martínez in the dugout as the Mariners’ official hitting coaches, but this will ultimately be Martínez’s ship to steer.
That level of continuity should provide Wilson with plenty of support and comfort as he embarks on the first real chapter of his managerial career. This is fully his show now and what he does with it will be fascinating to watch play out over the course of the upcoming season.
Jorge Polanco’s health and transition to third base
The Mariners’ ownership group, led by John Stanton and Chris Larson, imposed a highly restrictive budget of reportedly $16 million on its front office this offseason, effectively shutting down a wide range of avenues it could potentially explore to upgrade the roster. After failing to push some of their other pursuits across the finish line, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander wound up betting a large portion of that budget on a reunion with Polanco. It’s an incredibly risky wager because not only is Polanco coming off one of the worst seasons of his 11-year career, but he’s also only a few months removed from patellar tendon surgery and is being asked by Seattle to play third base, a position he has just 180 career innings of experience at.
Seattle has expressed confidence in Polanco’s health heading into camp, but it remains to be seen just how ready he is for game action and how much he’s able to play. On one hand, it would behoove the Mariners to be cautious with Polanco to ensure his availability for Opening Day, especially since their other options at third base are severely limited. But on the other hand, they also need to see how he looks on the hot corner and if he can handle the kind of workload being asked of him post-surgery. How the club manages that over the next few weeks will be very interesting.
Will Mitch Haniger survive the spring?
Haniger is one of the more fascinating players in camp with the Mariners, but only for the fact that he’s an awful fit for how the roster is currently constructed. Despite that, considering the organization’s spending (or in this case, non-spending) habits over the past few years, Haniger’s $17.5 million salary in 2025 might mark him safe from being cut before Opening Day. Surely Dipoto and Hollander have attempted to offload Haniger via trade without having to sacrifice significant prospect or major-league capital and will continue to do so over the course of the spring, but the idea that such a favorable deal will eventually come down the pipeline is wishful thinking at best.
There is the off chance that Haniger’s presence down in Peoria is purely for insurance purposes and the Mariners plan to part ways with the veteran so long as they make it to Opening Day healthy. But in the end, while Haniger’s $17.5 million is a sunk cost for Seattle either way, odds are it will likely force him onto its roster in an attempt to get something for its money before having to eat it.
Does the Mariners’ front office have one last move to make?
If the reported budget of $16 million is accurate, then the Mariners’ front office has roughly $4 million left to spend. It’s likely Dipoto and Hollander will pocket that for the time being to eventually help facilitate any in-season trades they make, but they also haven’t shied away from the occasional Spring Training deal in the past. One of the regime’s most significant trades, which brought in both outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suárez from the Reds back in 2022, occurred after camp had already kicked off. They also notably acquired catcher Tom Murphy from the Giants during Spring Training in 2019 and reliever Nick Vincent from the Padres in 2016.
The Marlins are one of the very few teams seemingly willing to take pure prospect returns for their major-league talent at the moment and they have a few names that could be of interest to the Mariners, including outfielder Jesús Sánchez and relievers Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher, and Andrew Nardi. Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner, who Seattle has coveted this offseason, could also suddenly become available if Chicago is able to sign free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, but a deal involving Hoerner comes with a million questions and obstacles for the Mariners to maneuver, namely the financial viability of it.
Another addition doesn’t have to come in the form of a trade, however, though it creates an even tighter window for the Mariners to fit through. But at this stage of free agency, could someone like veteran infielder Jose Iglesias be willing to sign a one-year contract for around $4 million?
