Reddit AMA: Crowded right field intrigues

Daniel Kramer, MLB.com’s Mariners beat reporter, held an “Ask Me Anything” on Friday on Reddit at r/Mariners. With team offices closing down for the holidays soon and the possibility of some cooling across the Hot Stove, it seemed to be a good time to take a big-picture look at Seattle's offseason.

This mailbag features excerpted questions and answers from that event (some lightly edited for clarity). The full AMA is available here.

If there's one more mid/big move by Mariners this offseason, what do you feel is most likely?
The tea leaves suggest Brendan Donovan would be a perfect fit in Seattle. But that’s also true for multiple teams interested in the Cardinals’ second baseman. And because he’s St. Louis’ best trade asset while they’re trying to shed payroll and reload with younger talent, the price will be high. But the Mariners are as well-equipped with prospect capital as any of the teams linked to Donovan.

How do you think the front office feels about the offseason so far? Are they wanting to make another move, or are they content where they are?
They’re cognizant that they’ve done their heaviest lifting. But Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander still have another modest swing in them this winter.

Seattle’s president of baseball operations and general manager, respectively, realize they are in the thick of a World Series window and intend to make the most of it. How they handled last year’s Trade Deadline, as well as paying Josh Naylor handsomely in free agency, gave them quite a bit of credibility in that regard.

Dipoto, specifically, has talked about being comfortable being uncomfortable -- and whether that’s with a lucrative contract for their fan favorite first baseman or parting with a catching prospect in Harry Ford who looked like a big part of their future, it has shown. But he and Hollander likely will need to retain that approach if they’re going to make one more big move.

Are the Mariners looking to upgrade in right field, or are they happy with a Dominic Canzone/Victor Robles platoon?
Don’t forget Luke Raley, who was arguably their best acquisition in the 2023-24 offseason but limped through 2025 with a nagging oblique injury. That the Mariners didn’t non-tender him suggests they view him as a strong bounce-back candidate. He’d have to nudge his way into playing time in a crowded right field and at first base, now that Naylor will be their everyday guy there.

Canzone’s impressive season has earned him a role for next season, and Robles -- despite his shortcomings in the playoffs -- was still the Mariners’ spark plug, albeit in short spurts. And he was front and center for arguably their biggest win of the year, in Houston in late September.

How the Mariners revolve right fielders will be one of the more intriguing storylines.

What do you rate the chances of the Mariners pulling off a trade for Ketel Marte?
Their interest is higher than maybe anticipated at the offseason’s outset, when it became clear that Arizona -- despite intending to contend in 2026 -- might be willing to move on from the three-time All-Star. That said, the ask has been higher than the Mariners are willing to go, specifically in that the D-backs are seeking an MLB-ready starting pitcher. Dipoto and Hollander have been pretty adamant about not dealing from their big league rotation. The D-backs, it seems, aren’t as intrigued by Seattle’s higher-level pitching prospects.

Do you see anybody splitting time with J.P. Crawford at shortstop?
Not at the moment, though his longer-term status in Seattle will be one of their most pressing questions throughout next year, given that his five-year, $51 million contract will expire at season’s end. Crawford has been one of the Mariners’ most successful acquisitions in the Dipoto/Hollander era, and there’s an increasing chance that he might be in the team’s Hall of Fame one day.

But Colt Emerson, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect, is coming quickly. And while he might be targeted for third base entering Spring Training, his best position is shortstop.

Is there any recognition inside the organization that some of the recent personnel losses in player development are a problem?
Absolutely. This was a leading topic of a lengthy conversation with Dipoto and Hollander at the Winter Meetings. They even suggested they might not be able to adequately back-fill Andy McKay’s role for another year, given the imprint that the former assistant general manager left throughout the organization.