Mariners Rumors: Insider casts doubt on Seattle's odds of landing a Japanese slugger

So far, it has been a slow offseason. The Mariners are surprisingly the only team that has signed a free agent deal of note but to be fair, it's still early. The non-tender deadline was just a few days ago and it resulted in a flurry of moves from around the league. For now, it seems like most teams, including those in Seattle's own division, are focused on clearing space on the roster and in the budget before they decide how much to invest in 2026.

Despite signing Josh Naylor and filling a crucial infield need, Seattle still has plenty of work to do if they want to surpass the success they found in 2025. While first base is now covered, the other corner infield spot is also in need of an impact starter. Initially, there were reports that the Mariners could contend for two marquee free agents from Japan but according to some, the organization has already turned their sights elsewhere, and for good reason.

According to MLB scouts, neither Munetaka Murakami nor Kazuma Okamoto are expected to play third due to a lack of defensive ability

According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, scouts from around the league agree that while both Japanese players have intriguing offensive upside, their fielding skillsets aren't quite up to par with MLB third basemen. Murakami was already teetering on being considered solely as a first baseman given his lack of arm strength and mobility. Okamoto allegedly has more promise but is still expected to average or worse at the role.

Given their new positional limitations, it seems like an easy pass for the Mariners. Murakami's flawed approach at the plate was already a cause for concern and, when combined with a contract that's expected to comfortably exceed $100 million, pursuing him just seems like a waste of time. Okamoto made a slightly more compelling case but Seattle would still waste resources on a position where they've already locked down a great player.

It may seem like disappointing news but it's always better to make intelligent spending decisions than it is to throw good money after bad. The crop of third-base free agents is undoubtedly thin and in a worst-case scenario, Seattle can still fall back on their internal options. Though he struggled at the plate Ben Williamson still had a respectable 1.3 rWAR over half a season thanks to his stellar defensive efforts and posted a strong .854 OPS in Triple-A to finish the year.

There's still ample time in the offseason for the front office to answer these questions. Fans may not yet have a clear answer of who will be manning the hot corner for Seattle in 2026 but these are two names they can safely cross off their list of possibilities.