Mariners GM Meetings Rumors: Ian Happ interest, LH relievers, Randy Arozarena market

Jerry Dipoto apparently did not travel to the GM Meetings in Las Vegas with the idea in mind to be boring. And the Chicago Cubs flavor of his interests is increasingly hard to ignore. First it was Seiya Suzuki, and now it's Ian Happ who's on the radar.

This comes courtesy of Jon Morosi of MLB Network, who correctly identified two reasons why Happ makes sense for the Mariners. They need to improve their defense, and he's a four-time Gold Glove winner. He also has a connection to Jason Kanzler, who was the Cubs' farm director before the Mariners poached him to be their new manager.

Mind you, context is needed for both claims. Happ is a Gold Glover more so because of his arm than his ability to catch fly balls, as he's at -4 Outs Above Average for his work in left field for the last five seasons. Further, the Happ-Kanzler connection isn't worth too much mental energy, as Kanzler was more concerned with the prospect side while he was working under Jed Hoyer in Chicago.

Even with those things said, a potential Happ-Mariners pairing hits differently than a potential Suzuki-Mariners pairing. Whereas a pact with Suzuki is likely aspirational based on his $100-ish million price tag, MLB Trade Rumors projects Happ to sign for just three years and $45 million. Inasmuch as the Mariners have a free agent wheelhouse, that should be somewhere within it.

Since Happ is indeed a left fielder, he's also more of a plug-and-play replacement for Randy Arozarena. And even if his defense requires context, you can't look a gift horse in the mouth if you're a Mariners team that just featured by far MLB's worst defense in 2026. And besides, Happ at least gets good jumps on fly balls. Perhaps that's a teachable skill, specifically for Julio Rodríguez.

The 32-year-old Happ is not on Arozarena's level as a hitter, but the two have a similar power baseline of 20-25 home runs annually. And while the switch-hitting Happ only had a .738 OPS this year, that was due to lopsided production from the left side (.816 OPS) vs. the right side (.484 OPS). The Mariners could dull that edge with a platoon partner, such as Michael Arroyo.

Jerry Dipoto is also on the lookout for multiple leverage relievers, including a left-hander

It's otherwise an open secret that Dipoto likes what the free agent market has to offer in terms of relief pitchers, and he's not about to be picky.

“We’d like to have one, maybe two leverage relievers, and if they’re righty or lefty, doesn’t matter to us,” Dipoto said Tuesday, according to Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. “Just make sure they’re good. That could come via trade. It could come via the free agent market. It could come in both directions.”

On Wednesday, another report from Morosi claims the Mariners are "engaged" with the market for lefty relievers. It doesn't mean they necessarily will add another lefty to go with Gabe Speier and Jose A. Ferrer. Yet given the prevalence of good left-handed hitting in today's MLB, it would be a good idea.

Gregory Soto is an option we've highlighted in the past, and he could be among the more affordable targets for Dipoto. There's otherwise Adrian Morejon all alone at the top of this corner of the market, followed by Alex Vesia, Steven Okert, Sean Newcomb, Brock Burke and José Alvarado.

Knowing that Speier and Ferrer both struck out less than a batter per inning in 2026, a lefty with some swing-and-miss would be ideal. Any one of those aforementioned names would fit the bill.

Scott Boras is aiming for the moon with Randy Arozarena's next contract

Wednesday was Scott Boras' day to hold court at the GM Meetings, and he didn't hold back on the puns. If anything, he pushed things a bit too close to weirdness when speaking about Arozarena: "This rose has no thorn. All the teams, frankly, they're feeling really Randy."

As for how the three-time All-Star's market is looking, Divish and Jude reported Wednesday that Boras is looking for a contract for "somewhere around six years for at least $150 million."

Those figures are not to be taken at face value. As any negotiator worth their salt should, Boras always aims high in setting the market for one of his clients. The odds are good that Arozarena's actual contract will fall closer in line to early projections, which are in the four- and five-year range for around $100 million.

Even so, Boras' push for $150 million is another reason for the Mariners not to waste their time. Even if they were willing (and indications are that they're not) to pay nine figures to keep Arozarena, nothing they can do can satisfy his purported desire to return to the East Coast.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow