All the contract option decisions the Mariners will have to make in MLB offseason

Even as the Seattle Mariners went through the roller coaster ride of emotions associated with the playoffs, the organization still had to keep one eye on the future. Of all the professional sports leagues in North America, we would contend that baseball is the one which truly never switches off, even during the offseason.

Among other things for Major League Baseball teams early in the offseason, this includes sorting through all the contract options for individual players. Here are our predictions for the contract option decisions the Mariners will focus on with their postseason heart-breakingly now over following Monday evening's crushing loss against the Blue Jays.

Here are the contract option decisions the Mariners are facing in the 2025-26 MLB offseason

Andrés Muñoz - $6 million club option

When the Mariners traded for Andrés Muñoz in August of 2020, there was some uncertainty surrounding what they were getting. He had made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 2019, but then underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, which meant he wouldn't be back until sometime in 2021.

Muñoz made his Mariners debut in the final game of the 2021 season following a rehab assignment, but nothing could have prepared fans for what was to come in 2022. The righty almost immediately became an important component of a bullpen which helped the team make their first playoff appearance since 2001.

Muñoz was outstanding during that 2022 campaign as he produced a 2.49 ERA over 64 appearances, along with what are still career-bests with a 2.04 FIP, 0.892 WHIP and 65.0 combined innings. He did take a step back in 2023, but he continued to grow his reputation as one of the best relievers in baseball and earned his first All-Star selection last year.

This season saw Muñoz take his game to even higher levels with a 2.4 WAR, 1.73 ERA and 38 saves, while also securing a second consecutive All-Star selection. His Baseball Savant page bears out his standing among the best with a whole host of percentile rankings in the 90s, and he continued to excel during the playoffs by not allowing a single run in 8.1 combined innings over seven appearances.

Verdict: Easy pickup

Mitch Garver - $12 million mutual option

When Mitch Garver was initially signed to a two-year, $24 million deal in December of 2023, it was understandably hailed as an excellent move by the Mariners. He was coming off a season where he batted .270 with a .870 OPS and 138 OPS+ as an important part of a Texas Rangers team which won their first ever World Series.

The main issue surrounding Garver was that he had struggled to remain healthy throughout his Major League career, but that would theoretically be helped by being the backup catcher to Cal Raleigh and also playing at DH. Well, he actually went on to play a career-best 114 games for the Mariners in 2024, but this turned out to be about the only positive from a disastrous campaign.

Garver had a career-low -0.1 WAR and produced a terrible .172/.286/.341 slash line, .627 OPS and 85 OPS+, also striking out a career-high 133 times. Of course you felt absolutely awful for the guy when he emotionally revealed he received abuse that included death threats, and at the back of it all most (reasonable) people supported him and hoped for better in 2025.

In the end, though, Garver only showed marginal improvement in batting .209 with a .639 OPS and 86 OPS+; he was better against lefties, but when you're still only producing a .718 OPS, this isn't the win you would hope it is. As per Baseball Savant, he also wasn't particularly impressive with his catching when called upon, accentuated by his best ranking being in the 33rd percentile for framing.

Verdict: Bye, Mitch

Jorge Polanco - $6 million player option

Jorge Polanco followed a similar path to Garver in that there was plenty of early optimism when he arrived in Seattle in a trade from the Minnesota Twins. He had a poor 2024 season with the Mariners, as he set a number of career-lows including a .213 batting average, .296 OPB, and .651 OPS, as well as a career-high 137 strikeouts.

As such, when the Mariners declined Polanco's $12 million option for the 2025 season but then brought him back at a lower price, the collective groan from the fanbase was almost palpable. It was perceived as yet another example of the organization being cheap, but to the extreme in re-signing someone who was ineffective for the team a year earlier.

Jerry Dipoto and company highlighted that a lot of Polanco's struggles in 2024 could be attributed to ongoing knee issues, with offseason surgery making them hopeful this was now resolved. Plenty didn't buy it, but as it turns out Dipoto was right — a common theme throughout this season — and it's fair to say the gamble to bring Polanco back was a massive success.

Polanco came out on fire with a ridiculous .819 slugging percentage, 1.254 OPS and 258 w RC+ as we came towards the end of April. While he could never be expected to keep this up, he proved to be a vital part of the M's lineup throughout the season. His regular season was highlighted by a career- high 134 OPS+ and he continued to show his importance during the playoffs by turning somewhat into a modern-day version of Mr. October with game-winning hits and making a certain Tarik Skubal look almost mortal.

Verdict - Yeah, he's gone