Randy Arozarena to Red Sox buzz is just the start of major Mariners project

If nothing else, there was Randy Arozarena. Years from now, this may be the only positive way to remember the Seattle Mariners' 2026 season. It could prove to be a punchline, as memories of Arozarena's tremendous year could be darkened if he leaves as a free agent. And doubly so if his shoes go unfilled.

It's worth holding out hope that the Mariners can keep him. They will have some money coming off their books this offseason, after all. And while he does stand to be one of the top players on the market, he's not quite a can't-miss type whose contract will stray into the stratosphere.

To hear it from Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the 31-year-old Arozarena might have to settle for beating the three-year, $66 million contract that former Mariner Teoscar Hernández secured at the same age in January of 2025. Arozarena could potentially score nine figures, but might go well beyond that only if a big-money team can't resist him.

Like, for example, the Boston Red Sox. As Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times said on "Foul Territory" last week: "We all know Randy would probably prefer to stay on the East Coast. I'm guessing Boston is ready to cut a huge check for him."

Granted, a guess is not necessarily a "sources say" kind of thing. Yet Divish is as plugged in as anyone covering the Mariners, and it's not like the Red Sox fit is a bad one. They could trade Jarren Duran and use Arozarena and Roman Anthony in a left field/DH rotation, with the general idea being for Arozarena to feast at Fenway Park.

Mariners already need to be making a short list of possible replacements for Randy Arozarena

Another thing that makes the Red Sox a real threat to sign Arozarena is the likelihood that they will want to move quickly. If MLB gets its wish on a salary cap in the CBA negotiations, the Red Sox would face the prospect of having to work with lower payrolls in future seasons. November is potentially the last chance for them an other big spenders to make it rain.

From Seattle's perspective, I think we all know how this could go wrong. One can easily imagine Jerry Dipoto in front of a microphone and saying something to the effect of, "Sure, Randy is gone, but we still have Brendan Donovan and Michael Arroyo for left field, and that ain't bad."

Yeah. Sure. Right. But the goal can't be to simply put a body to the left of Julio Rodríguez. It should be to ensure that the 147 OPS+, 26 home runs and 23 stolen bases Arozarena has given the team in 2026 don't go bye-bye as a big drop in the overall production bucket. Maybe Arroyo has that kind of upside, but that would be a lot to ask of a rookie with 25 career MLB plate appearances.

For replacements, the Mariners will only have so many viable options. Maybe Seiya Suzuki or Ian Happ off the free-agent market, but that's where you get into spending less money on obviously lesser players. So, forgive me if my mind drifts more toward the Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz and Ronald Acuña Jr. types who could potentially be available on the trade market.

If not in that direction, one would hope for an alternative project to improve the defense and remake the 2027 Mariners into a run-prevention powerhouse. Figuring it out with Donovan and Arroyo doesn't get you there either. Donovan isn't an especially good outfielder, while signs point to Donovan being an especially bad one.

For now, enjoy Arozarena while you still can. These are more than likely his last days in a Mariners uniform, and you just know he wants to use them to push his price even higher.

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