After finishing the 2024 season with 85 wins and 77 losses, the Seattle Mariners missed out on the playoffs by only one game. They went into the offseason with a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Some of the questions were answered, while others were not.
Who will play second base?
Mariners Spring Training begins on Feb. 13, and one of the biggest holes in the Mariners roster is at the second base position. The Mariners brought back Jorge Polanco and signed veteran Donovan Solano to a one-year deal. However, neither of them will be the permanent second baseman. Polanco will move from second to third base due to his lack of range. Solano will rotate through second base, first base and designated hitter. It appears that second base will be a platoon yet again. A platoon could have been avoided with two-time All-Star Gleyber Torres on the market or with rookie Hyeseong Kim coming over from the Korea Baseball Organization, however they signed with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Solano will likely split time with Leo Rivas and Dylan Moore.
Who is Donovan Solano?
Donovan Solano is the type of hitter the Mariners have been missing. Solano hit .286 over 96 games in 2024 for the San Diego Padres. That would’ve been second on the Mariners behind only Victor Robles in his 77-game tenure. Solano is 37 years old and from Barranquilla, Colombia. Before the Mariners, he spent part of 11 seasons between the Marlins, Yankees, Giants, Reds, Twins and Padres. His contract is for one year and is worth 3.5 million dollars.
Who will be the next bullpen breakouts?
The Mariners bullpen is led by flame throwers like Andres Muñoz, Matt Brash and Gregory Santos. These three have proven themselves to be reliable arms when healthy. However, a lot of the other arms in the bullpen break out every year. The Mariners’ pitching development is brilliant at finding under-the-radar pitchers, tweaking one or two mechanics, and turning them into borderline stars. So, who will those players be this year? There are two pitchers to watch: Drew Pomeranz and Shintaro Fujinami. Pomeranz is nearing the end of his career. The 36-year-old lefty hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021. However, the Mariners could potentially help him regain his past form, and he could be a long relief pitcher. Fujinami looks to be near the beginning of his MLB career. He came over from Japan in 2023 and struggled in the rotations of the Athletics and Orioles. However, when he was moved to the bullpen, there were flashes of success. The Mariners will look to harness his fastball that averages 98.4 MPH, good enough to be in the 97th percentile and add Fujinami’s name to the dominant list of Japanese Mariners.
What will happen with Mitch?
Both Mitch Haniger and Mitch Garver took major steps back in production in 2024. However, there isn’t much the Mariners can do other than hope they improve. The Mariners owe both Mitch’s a combined 26.5 million dollars in 2025. It’s unlikely any team will be willing to take on either of their contracts. The only bit of optimism with either Mitch is Garver’s odd-year history. Throughout his entire career, Garver struggled in even seasons and slugged in odd seasons. He had a great 2023, 2021, and 2019 but struggled during the even seasons. 2025 is an odd year, so we’ll see what happens.
