Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, left, first baseman Josh Naylor and third base coach Kristopher Negron converse during Tigers pitching change during the fourth inning of Game 4 of ALDS at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mariners Predicted To Cut Ties With Two Of Top Three Free Agents

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 8:36 AM ET

After a magical season, the Seattle Mariners have to decide how much of their almost-World Series-viable roster to bring back.

Fortunately, none of the Mariners' superstars are headed to free agency. But Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez will have a much easier time over the next half-decade if the lineup behind them can do some damage.

Seattle has three main free agents, all of whom played a major role in their October run: second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco, third baseman Eugenio Suárez, and first baseman Josh Naylor. Who among those names will return to the Pacific Northwest?

Mariners predicted to retain Naylor

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer projected the Mariners' 2026 opening day roster, and of the three names above, he predicted that only Naylor would return after his strong second half post-trade arrival.

"Naylor and the Mariners are too good for each other to part ways, but it's hard to imagine the club re-signing him and adding other new starters in free agency. That's just not their style," Rymer wrote.

Polanco, meanwhile, was extremely solid this season, and Rymer's reasoning for projecting his departure seemed to be that he'd get more money than Seattle would want to guarantee him. The 32-year-old got the Mariners to the championship series with a 15th-inning walkoff single against the Detroit Tigers.

"After battling through a knee injury for much of 2024, Polanco rebounded to post a career-high 134 OPS+ and hit 26 homers this year," Rymer wrote. "Even though next year will be his age-32 season, he should be able to find a multi-year deal in free agency."

Suárez, meanwhile, had a tough second half, but hit what could have been an all-time home run in Mariners lore had the team buckled down and won one of the final two games on the road at the Rogers Centre.

"The 34-year-old didn't deliver on the hype. Though he finished the year with 49 home runs and 118 RBI overall, he only had a .682 OPS and 0.3 rWAR in 53 games as a Mariner," Rymer wrote.

"It seems possible that the Mariners will also try to bring Suárez back, but he doesn't feel as much like a must-have as Naylor."

More MLB: Mariners' Dan Wilson Offers Lame Defense Of Season-Ending Decision

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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