Loss of Miles Mastrobuoni should refocus Mariners on J.P. Crawford's olive branch

At least for now, Miles Mastrobuoni is a Seattle Mariner no more. The veteran utility man elected free agency over the weekend, taking one more depth option off the board for 2027. All the more reason for Jerry Dipoto to dial 1-800-J.P.-Crawford.

If you think referencing 800 numbers is a little risky for 2026, well, I'll contend that what's really risky is the current status of the Mariners' bench. There's not a lot there right now, as Mastrobuoni's departure comes in tandem of those of Crawford, Taylor Ward and, in all likelihood, Victor Robles by way of a declined option.

RosterResource has Michael Arroyo, Ryan Bliss and Brennen Davis penciled in for the 2027 bench as of now, and that's a yikes. After what they went through in 2026, the Mariners should indeed be motivated to add tried-and-true major leaguers to their bench.

To this end, the 30-year-old Mastrobuoni could potentially be brought back on a minor league deal. Even though his 2026 season was sidetracked by injuries, he added 13 more games to a major league track record that now consists of 207 games over five seasons. He can play pretty much anywhere on the field, and he at least offers strong bat-to-ball skills as a hitter.

Or, the Mariners could keep it simple by putting Crawford atop their wish list for their bench. It merely means grabbing the olive branch he extended at the end of the season, when the long-time shortstop expressed an awareness that his major league future is as a utility infielder.

“I owe this organization everything,” the 31-year-old said. “That’s why I want to finish out my career here. I had some dark times early in my career and my time here has been the best part of my life.”

J.P. Crawford could be exactly the utility infielder the Mariners are looking for

As was the case at the time, it's still important to be clear-eyed about what Crawford is at this stage of his career. He used to be a star-caliber shortstop. He's not that anymore. He only has a 100 OPS+ to show for his last three seasons, and neither his range nor his arm strength are assets anymore.

Even so, he can give you a good at-bat and occasionally flash power to right field. If he's able to get his right arm up to speed after battling a shoulder issue this year, maybe there's some arm strength to regain. Either way, you don't need a ton of arm strength if your new job is as a roving infielder who can spell starters at short, third or second.

Of course, there is the Brendan Donovan factor. He could potentially be a starter at third base or left field, yet there are scenarios (i.e., a new guy at third and Arroyo or Lazaro Montes in left) that would push him into more of a utility role. Even then, though, Donovan's ability to play the outfield would be enough to prevent him and Crawford from having overlapping usefulness.

The object either way should be for the Mariners to avoid the same depth pitfalls that caught them in 2026. They gave over 450 plate appearances to Leo Rivas, Brock Rodden, Weston Wilson, Patrick Wisdom and Connor Joe, resulting in a total loss of 1.8 rWAR.

Even if it's on the margins, any team that's serious about contending just can't give away value like that. So if Crawford comes back as a utility guy, we'll all feel a lot safer.

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