3 moves Mariners must avoid like the plague after 2025 Winter Meetings

With the Winter Meetings having come and gone, there aren't really many major events left on the MLB calendar between now and the opening of spring training in February. Welcome to the long and cold part of the winter, in other words, but it could be worse for the Seattle Mariners.

In fact, let's imagine how it could be worse. The Mariners certainly have good options for how to finish off their winter shopping, but let's instead stare in terror at three moves they conceivably could make, but absolutely must not.

3 moves Mariners must avoid like the plague after 2025 Winter Meetings

Signing Luis Arraez

There has been no indication that the Mariners are actually considering Arraez. They seem to have a solid array of infield options, consisting of Jorge Polanco first and foremost and then a series of intriguing trade candidates.

Even so, this idea is just far enough within the realm of possibility to be taken seriously. Arraez can play second base, after all, and his unrivaled bat-to-ball skill would be a welcome addition to a Mariners offense that leads the American League in strikeouts over the last two seasons.

The scary part is Arraez's Jekyll-and-Hyde act as a three-time batting champion and, at least for the last two years, a 1-WAR player. He hits a lot of singles, but doesn't really do a whole lot else. Further, the notion that his presence alone improves a lineup doesn't really hold water.

MLB Trade Rumors projects a two-year, $24 million deal for Arraez. It isn't that much money, but the average value is in the same neighborhood as what Polanco is projected for — and we know who we'd rather have.

Signing Munetaka Murakami

There have been a ton of speculative links between the Mariners and Murakami, and his allure is certainly intoxicating.

The "Babe Ruth of Higo," as he's known in Japan, is one of the great power hitters in the world today. He peaked with 56 long balls in 2022, and was otherwise good for about 30 per year with the Yakult Swallows. Even in a mere 69-game sample this year, he clubbed 24 homers to go with a 1.051 OPS.

Murakami generally gets nine-figure contract projections, including an eight-year, $180 million valuation from MLB Trade Rumors. It's hard to imagine the Mariners playing in that kind of playground after dropping $92.5 million on Josh Naylor. But with no real buzz on Murakami as he faces a December 22 deadline to sign, you wonder if his ask could drop.

Even then, though, the Mariners would need to keep their eye on his red flags. He's a poor defender who swings and misses a lot. That more or less translates to "left-handed Eugenio Suárez," and the Mariners can simply re-sign the genuine article for a lot less if they must have a player like that.

Signing Seranthony Domínguez

The Mariners have not been firmly linked to Domínguez, but we know they want another bullpen arm after adding Jose A. Ferrer. And among right-handed relievers on the free-agent market, he's one of the best ones left.

Domínguez would fit well enough in the pen in one respect: he has an electric arm. He averaged 97.7 mph on the fastball this season and fanned 30.3 percent of the batters he faced. Mariners relievers were weirdly deficient in the latter respect, ranking in the bottom half of MLB with a 22.6 strikeout percentage.

Seattle's pen was nonetheless effective in part because everyone who came out of it threw strikes, to the tune of a bottom-five 8.5 walk percentage. Domínguez generally doesn't do that, and especially not recently. His 13.5 BB% this year was in the 1st percentile, another way of saying "as bad as it gets."

MLB Trade Rumors projects a two-year, $18 million deal for Domínguez. At that rate, the Mariners would be getting a much safer option if they defaulted to Tyler Rogers instead.