Mariners should know better than to bring life to Luis Arraez's dead market

Stop us if you've heard this one before — actually don't, as we'd like you to keep reading — but the Seattle Mariners' second base situation remains a source of debate with just under three weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Peoria.

There had been hopes that Jorge Polanco would return, but as much as he preferred to remain in Seattle, no one blames him for taking the additional money the New York Mets were offering. The prime target currently appears to be Brendan Donovan, but there are no guarantees the Mariners will land the St. Louis Cardinals' 2025 All-Star.

As things stand Cole Young is projected to be the second baseman on Opening Day, but what if there's still at least one another quality (and more developed) player out there who can man the position? Well, Fox Sports has the Mariners as one of three potential destinations for free agent Luis Arraez, and we can understand why, at least to an extent.

The argument for Luis Arraez in Seattle

First up, we appreciate that Arraez has spent more time at first base the last couple of seasons, but this wouldn't happen in Seattle with a certain Josh Naylor tied down for the next five years. In any event, Arraez has more career games at second base in the majors, while also having extensive experience as a designated hitter, which could also theoretically prove invaluable.

On a surface level, why wouldn't the Mariners want a player who is a three-time batting champion and also led the NL in hits last season? Additionally, he would help with the M's strikeout problems, with him coming off a single-season career-low 3.1 percent strikeout rate in 2025 and having only taken 215 career Ks in seven years.

Continuing on a surface level, Baseball Savant also provides some compelling evidence in favor of Arraez, as highlighted by him ranking in the 100th percentile for K%, Whiff% and Squared-Up%. And yet as MLB.com notes in their latest free agent and trade rumors, there's been very little buzz surrounding the two-time Silver Slugger in general, so what gives?

Why the Mariners won't make a move for the 3-time batting champion

Well, we won't go as far as saying Arraez is all smoke and mirrors, but the reality is he's a player who will get you singles but little else. He has essentially been just a 1-WAR player these past two seasons and despite the aforementioned categorical 100th percentile rankings with Baseball Savant, they have his overall Batting Run Value as ranking in just the 15th percentile.

At the risk of sounding like we're piling on the guy, FanGraphs' Ben Clemons wrote an intriguing article back in Oct. 2024 about the myth of Arraez improving a lineup by his presence alone. It's a fascinating read which we thoroughly recommend, but *spoiler alert* he doesn't.

SoDo Mojo's Zachary Rymer went in-depth a couple of months ago about why the Mariners should give Arraez a wide berth. Seriously, we promise we're not intentionally picking on him, but aside from mostly just hitting singles, Rymer adds that he's a lousy slugger, lousy baserunner and lousy defender. (Can you be any less on the fence?)

Some projections have the three time All-Star signing somewhere for around two years and $24 million, which is certainly affordable to the Mariners, but ultimately he's just not worth it. Yes, Young still has a lot of questions, but he has more upside in comparison, no matter how much Fox Sports pushes the scenario of the M's being an good fit for Arraez.