Luis Arraez? Re-Sign Eugenio Suarez? 3 MLB Free Agents Mariners Should Sign

They were one win away.

The Seattle Mariners were just one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history last season, before blowing a 3-2 series lead to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. The Mariners are well-positioned to contend for the American League pennant again in 2026, however, beginning last month with them re-signing first baseman Josh Naylor on a five-year, $92.5 million deal. Now, they have to tie up loose ends.

Here are three MLB free agents Seattle should sign.

RHP Chris Paddack

2025 Stats: 5.35 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 112 strikeouts, 79 ERA+, 0.3 wins above replacement (158 innings pitched)

Why have some good haddock when you can have some Paddack?

Few clubs have developed pitchers better than the Mariners over the past five years (e.g. Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and George Kirby), which makes them tailor-made to embark on a reclamation project like Paddack. The right-hander split the 2025 season with the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, making five appearances out of the bullpen with the latter. Seattle could sign Paddack with the intention of making him a full-time reliever.

In Paddack's rookie 2019 season in the sport, he posted a 3.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 26 starts. There's a good pitcher in Paddack. It's just more likely to come as a reliever given his primarily leaning on two pitches, those being his four-seamer and changeup; with just two consistent offerings, a pitcher can be more predictable to the opposition.

Paddack can pitch to his strengths, get in a groove as a middle-to-long reliever and provide the Mariners with more bullpen depth. While Andres Munoz is electric in the ninth inning and relievers such as Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo are sturdy forces, Seattle's bullpen as a collective whole was still tied for 16th in MLB with a .244 opponent batting average and tied for 13th in WHIP (1.28) last season. Plus, Paddack could be used as a starting pitcher if Seattle's rotation gets ravaged by injuries.

IF Luis Arraez

2025 Stats: 8 home runs, 61 RBIs, 99 OPS+, 1.2 wins above replacement, .292/.327/.392 slash line (620 at-bats)

The 2025 Mariners had infinite power, most notably displayed by catcher Cal Raleigh's 60 regular-season home runs, which helped Seattle finish third in the sport in the long ball with 238. At the same time, the Mariners were inordinately reliant on the long ball, with them finishing just 20th in batting average (.244) and 17th in hits (1,345). How about signing a three-time batting champion to clean up some of those deficiencies?

Arraez is arguably the best pure contact hitter in the sport. He has a quick, slapping swing from the left side, seldom strikes out and has led the National League in hits in each of the last two seasons. Arraez has just 215 career strikeouts. For context, young Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood, a 2025 All-Star, had 221 strikeouts last season.

Meanwhile, Arraez, a two-time Silver Slugger, has shuffled between playing second and first base, with him mostly playing the corner infield spot last season. In Seattle, Arraez would be the starting second baseman and slide to first base if Naylor gets hurt or is the designated hitter for a particular game.

Yes, Seattle likely wants to give former first-round pick Cole Young or Leo Rivas the chance to be its permanent second baseman. But, in all likelihood, any offensive emergence from Young or Rivas next season isn't going to come close to providing what Arraez, who's still just 28 years old, brings to the table. He would give the Mariners an elite contact hitter, which is the perfect complement to the pop that they get from Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone, among others.

If Arraez slumps on a short-term deal, then the Mariners can opt to let him leave in free agency. But for the sake of enhancing their 2026 World Series chances, Arraez would balance out the Mariners' lineup and provide defensive versatility, an asset that Jorge Polanco, who recently signed with the New York Mets, had. Granted, Polanco was primarily Seattle's designated hitter last season.

3B Eugenio Suarez

2025 Stats: 49 home runs, 118 RBIs, 126 OPS+, 3.6 wins above replacement, .228/.298/.526 slash line (588 at-bats)

The time is now for the Mariners, and committing a multi-year deal to a third baseman in his prime who's coming off a monster power season fits the bill.

Seattle acquired both Naylor and Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2025 MLB trade deadline. While the latter struggled to get on base, he still blasted 13 home runs in 53 regular-season games with the Mariners and then hit three more home runs in the postseason, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. Like with Young at second base, Seattle likely wouldn't mind giving young third baseman Ben Williamson the chance to play every day, but that day could wait another year or two.

Suarez, a two-time All-Star, is one of the elite power hitters in the sport and accustomed to playing third base every day. Excluding the shortened 2020 season, Suarez has averaged 35.1 home runs per season since 2018.

The Mariners can add offensive skill sets they don't presently have (e.g. potentially adding Arraez), while still having the flexibility to retain veterans like Naylor (already happened) and Suarez. Why break up a successful power lineup that got as far in the playoffs as Seattle's did last season? Instead, build on it.

Suarez and the Mariners are perfect for each other.

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