The Mariners lost three infielders to free agency at the end of the 2025 season as Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez Access the open market. remaining shortstop Justice Crawford As the only lock on the infield through 2026. The M’s moved quickly to bring Naylor back shortly after free agency began, signing the first baseman to a five-year, $92.5MM contract.
A reunion with Polanco and/or Suarez still appears to be on the table, but second and third base are currently open. What options do the Mariners currently have in their system? Let’s take a look at the possibilities.
Cole Young
Young is a former first-round pick who the M’s selected with the 21st overall pick in 2022. Entering 2025, he was a consensus top-100 prospect. He was promoted to the majors in late May, playing primarily second base. He ended up with 257 at-bats but posted a tepid .211/.302/.305 line, which translates to a wRC+ of 80.
This is obviously less than ideal, but there is some reason for optimism. Young’s 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate are both strong. He batted .247 in the game, more than 40 points below league average. His average exit velocity of 87.6 mph was below par, but his maximum exit velocity of 114.1 mph ranked in the top 10% of major league hitters. Maybe as he gets more exposure to major league pitching, he can take advantage of this quality Willow more. He hit .277/.392/.461 with a 120 wRC+ in Triple-A before being promoted, so maybe his mediocre major league debut was just a blip.
Colt Emerson
A year after drafting Young, the M’s selected a pick late in the first round. They used the 22nd overall pick in 2023 to grab Emerson. He made a huge jump in 2025, playing 90 games at High-A, followed by 34 games at Double-A and 6 games at Triple-A. Between those three levels, he took 600 at-bats and slashed .285/.383/.458 for a 129 wRC+. He also stole 14 bases while playing primarily shortstop and also played a few games at third base.
Emerson is now recognized as a top 15 prospect in the league. He still has minimal Triple-A experience and he’s only 20 years old, but the Mariners may be willing to at least add him to the Opening Day roster. MLB teams are often more willing to do this with top prospects these days because of the benefits of PPI. M carries 21 years old Julio Rodriguez All of 2022 is on their list. The M’s received an extra draft pick in 2023 when he won Rookie of the Year. This allows them to select outfielders Jonny Farmello Just seven picks after taking Emerson.
M probably won’t just leave the job to Emerson. He has to earn it in the spring. In theory, he could take over as the third baseman in 2026. Crawford is expected to be a free agent in a year, at which time Emerson could be converted to short base. It’s also possible Ferning Celesten That’s when it matters more. Celesten is considered a better defender at shortstop than Emerson, but he has yet to reach Double-A.
Ryan Bliss
Bliss was a second-round pick of the Diamondbacks who came to the Mariners in a 2023 deadline trade that made Paul Sewald To the desert. His 2025 season has been hampered by injuries. First, a torn left bicep required surgery in April. He began rehab in August but later tore the meniscus in his right knee. Due to missing this period, he has appeared in only 110 games in the major leagues over the past two seasons, posting a .214/.287/.367 line.
His minor league record is naturally better than this. Bliss has 739 triple-A plate games with a .260/.365/.453 line and a 105 wRC+. He’s also a huge threat on base, with at least 50 steals in the minor leagues in 2023 and 2024. He has extensive experience at both center infield positions in the minor leagues. He’s never been as hyped as Young or Emerson, but his speed and defense could make him a valuable player with even league-average offense.
Ben Williamson
Williamson is a 2023 second-round pick. He was generally good in the minor leagues, but had a nasty contact-based approach and little power. He appeared in 85 major league games this year, batting .253/.294/.310 with a wRC+ of 76. There may be more to it with the bat, but Williamson gets more praise for his glove skills. Statcast has only been average this year, but he is credited with saving eight defensive runs.
Michael Arroyo
Arroyo, 21, was an international signing from Colombia and is now a consensus top-100 prospect. In 2025, he played in 65 High-A games and 56 Double-A games. Between those two levels, he slashed .262/.401/.433 with a wRC+ of 139. He has some experience at third base and shortstop, but will only play second base in 2025. Since he hasn’t reached the Triple-A level yet, it might be a little tough for him to make the Opening Day roster, but he may have outside opportunities. Even if Opening Day isn’t possible, mid-season promotion is possible.
Leo Rivas/Miles Mastroboni/Samad Taylor
These three are more of a part-time or utility job. Rivas can draw a walk but doesn’t have much power. He can play all three infield spots left of first base as well as the corner outfield. He may be on the bench, but he has an option. Mastroboni has a similar minor league profile, but he has yet to play in the majors and now has no choice. Taylor only made 83 major league appearances and had no other options. He has big wheels and can also play the outfield, so he could be a good bench player who can provide backup running backs and/or defensive backup opportunities.
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Put all of this together, and it puts the Mariners in an interesting position. They are clearly in a win-win mode. They just finished their fifth consecutive winning season. They won the Western Conference title for the first time in more than 20 years. They were very close to a World Series berth. The Astros and Rangers appear to be dealing with payroll issues. The A’s have some hope but still need to build a pitching staff. The angels have many questions to answer. The division was ready to be occupied by the sailors.
Arguably, that should tip them toward finding a veteran major leaguer like Polanco, Suarez, or whoever. Emerson, on the other hand, could be a future star who is ready to go. If he struggles in the spring, Williamson will at least give them a glove layer as a backup. At second base, the M’s can leave Young, Bliss and Arroyo open for a slugfest. Among the three, only one of them needs to step up to grab the job.
In an ideal world, a versatile player who could also move to the outfield would make a lot of sense, so maybe the M’s would actively pursue it Brendan Donovan. If the young guy doesn’t take those jobs, he can play second or third. If they do, he could move to the corners and mix in the infield Victor Robles, Dominic Canzone and Luke Reilly. If that’s too crowded, the designated hitter spot is currently fairly vacant. Free agents such as willy castro or Amed Rosario This would be a less exciting version of Donovan catching the ball.
RosterResource projects the club’s 2026 payroll to be $151. That’s about $15 lower than the $166 it will be at at the end of 2025. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently said next year’s payroll could be similar to last season’s level. Like all teams, they could use some pitching upgrades, so it will be interesting to see how much of their remaining resources they use in the infield.
Photos by Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
