Mariners in awful position being left empty-handed after first baseman spree

The Seattle Mariners' offseason has been rather tepid so far. While the team was approached about moving Luis Castillo in a trade, nothing has been finalized. Questions have remained about who will be the first baseman for the 2025 season. Recently, according to Bleacher Report, Justin Turner was considered to be the Mariners' realistic free agent signing. 

If Turner, who wants to play in 2025, is the Mariners' biggest signing, it will be considered a massive disappointment. In particular, it will be a missed opportunity to land a more coveted first baseman for next season.

The Mariners have missed out on several upgrades as other proactive clubs moved in this offseason. Josh Naylor, who the Mariners did inquire about, was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. To fill the void left by the Naylor trade, the Guardians signed 2024 Gold Glover Carlos Santana to a one-year contract. 

Seattle also missed out on signing Paul Goldschmidt, who agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the New York Yankees, and Nathaniel Lowe, who was traded from Texas to the Washington Nationals Sunday. 

As we near Christmas Day, the Mariners missed out on four of the top five first basemen available based on FanGraphs' WAR. Pete Alonso remains available since he turned down a lucrative contract to stay with the New York Mets. Given his home run power, Alonso represents the marquee free agent splash the Mariners should look at. He also has the flair for the dramatic, as we saw last season in Milwaukee.

However, according to Jeff Passan, the Mariners and other MLB teams are hesitant to give the 30-year-old slugger a long-term deal, fearing a decline in productivity due to his age. From a Mariners perspective, there is a question about whether Alonso's power can hold up at T-Mobile Park. As Teoscar Hernandez stated last year, the ballpark is unkind to home run hitters.

The time is ticking on the Mariners to upgrade first base for next season. While signing Turner to another contract addresses first base, it's a lukewarm move that does not increase the Mariners' chances of postseason success. And watching another option fly off the board will be equally painful.