Breaking down 1 contract extension the Mariners absolutely should not do

Randy Arozarena is a really fun player. He's quite talented as well, capable of carrying the lineup when he's at his best. He does not have a weakness unless you count streakiness as a weakness. And yet, when it comes to a potential extension for the veteran left-fielder, the Mariners have a clear answer.

Don't do it.

Arozarena was a 4.0 bWAR player in 2025, and that's probably the best the Mariners will get out of him. His career high was 4.2 bWAR in 2021, and he had struggled previously, worth just 1.7 bWAR in 2024.

Randy Arozarena is the contract extension the Mariners absolutely should not do

While Arozarena does not have a true weakness, he also does not have any one strength that will keep him afloat once he begins to decline. He's not an incredible power hitter, with his career-high 27 home runs last year more likely to be an outlier. His defense is not elite, and his speed will probably begin to decline soon, as he enters his age-31 season next year. It's also due to be his walk year before free agency.

Arozarena is not the type of player the Mariners should tie themselves to long-term. If they had a larger budget and could afford to pay more veterans, an extension might make more sense, but that is not the reality for the Mariners. Seattle is already working on a restricted budget, and they still have to pay George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller. Until their top starting pitchers have been extended, it would feel like a waste of resources to extend Arozarena.

Again, this is not to say Arozarena is a bad player. He's a great player, and extremely likable. But so was Mitch Haniger, and remember how that contract ended? In 2024, he was benched by the summer, and the Mariners ultimately paid him eight figures not to play in 2025.

Seattle needs to be smart about how it handles their extensions going forward, with a lot of money already locked up in Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Josh Naylor. Not every player, even after an All-Star season, needs to be extended. Arozarena has been fun, but let's re-evaluate after 2026 before we hand him another bag of cash.