After falling to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, the Seattle Mariners face an offseason of retooling as they continue their pursuit of the first World Series appearance in franchise history.
Four players — first baseman Josh Naylor, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, catcher Mitch Garver and left-hander Caleb Ferguson — are unrestricted free agents.
One decision, however, was straightforward: closer Andres Munoz had to return. And that’s exactly what will happen, according to baseball reporter Francys Romero, who reported Tuesday that the Mariners will bring him back on a $6 million club option.
Muñoz finished with the third-most saves (38) in the majors last season and has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the past four seasons (2022–25). His 2025 campaign was his best yet, logging a 1.73 ERA over 62.1 innings in 64 appearances. Munoz also ranked in the 98th percentile in whiff rate (36.5%) and the 96th percentile in strikeout rate (32.7%).
Mariners have built their roster around their pitching staff
Built around pitching, the Mariners posted the 13th-best starters’ ERA (3.97) and the ninth-best bullpen ERA (3.72) in 2025. Munoz rejoins a relief corps that returns most of its key arms, including right-hander Matt Brash ($1.75 million), left-hander Gabe Speier ($1.75 million) and right-hander Eduard Bazardo ($820,000), all of whom are in either the arbitration or pre-arbitration phase of their contracts.
The Mariners finally seemed to find the formula for success: pairing their dominant starting staff and bullpen with an offense that mashes. Seattle ranked 10th in OPS (.740) and third in home runs (238), with catcher Cal Raleigh accounting for 60 of them. Adding 1B/OF Josh Naylor at the deadline proved pivotal, as he hit .299 with an .831 OPS and 10 home runs in 54 games after the trade, then caught fire in the ALCS, hitting .417 with three home runs and a 1.273 OPS as the Mariners pushed the Blue Jays to seven games.
With the deadline for club and player options approaching on Thursday, the Mariners may lose another key piece of their lineup: second baseman Jorge Polanco, who holds a $6 million player option. Polanco is expected to opt out and pursue a multi-year deal after hitting .265 with an .821 OPS and 26 home runs in 138 games.
Seattle heads into the offseason with the 16th-largest payroll in the majors ($87.127 million), according to Spotrac. But the cash it’s spending on Munoz is money well spent.
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