The Mariners' 3 worst missed opportunities of the offseason so far

For some teams, the offseason is already a resounding success. The Dodgers completed two major acquisitions in Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz, the Cubs got Alex Bregman and several high-value relievers, and the Blue Jays bolstered their pitching staff to go along with the signing of Kazuma Okamoto.

Evaluating the Mariners offseason is a little trickier. Some would argue that they've fixed some major holes in the roster, while others may argue that it hasn't been enough. They still don't seem to have the necessary firepower to be seen as legitimate World Series contenders, but that doesn't mean they haven't had some big chances this winter.

These are the Mariners' biggest missed opportunites of the offseason

Missing out on Jorge Polanco

Polanco was an important part of the Mariners' roster last year. In addition to his postseason heroics, his regular season numbers weren't too shabby, posting a 134 OPS+ and 2.6 rWAR. After his first year in Seattle left many doubting whether he could be an effective bat, some time to recover from old injuries and a move to the designated hitter role did wonders for his offensive production, allowing him to hit 30 doubles and 26 home runs.

Seattle was actively pursuing him and was reportedly close to securing a deal before being outbid by the Mets. One could argue that a two-year, $40 million contract is an overpay for his services and that the Mets were backed into a corner after losing Pete Alonso to the Orioles. But if the Mariners had been even slightly more aggressive earlier, they may have been able to bring him back.

Now that he's off the market, Seattle will have to settle for their in-house options or try to strike a deal for one of the second basemen that are on the trade market.

Being too risk-averse about Kazuma Okamoto

Okamoto was one of two highly-touted corner infielders posted from NPB this offseason. As with all Japanese free agents, there were some concerns as to how his skillset would translate to MLB, especially defensively, which may have been why Seattle didn't pursue him heavily despite being linked. Okamoto's hitting profile is well-rounded and despite lacking immense power, his scouting report has more than enough positives to compensate for his weaknesses

The four-year, $60 million deal that he eventually signed with the Blue Jays would've been more than affordable for Seattle, who will probably be forced to revert to Ben Williamson at third base for 2026. It's important for the organization's younger talent to be able to get some work at the big league level, but Okamoto's ceiling is likely higher than that of Williamson's.

Playing it safe during Ketel Marte negotiations

The Diamondbacks were open to trading one of their best players in Marte, but after failing to get any compelling offers, they officially took him off the market. Arizona was targeting young pitching in particular, of which the Mariners have plenty, but because of Seattle's refusal to deal from this pool, nothing came to fruition.

It's admirable that Seattle's front office is so protective of their outstanding talent, but this may end up biting them. The Mariners have enough starting pitching talent to create a potential logjam in the next few years, and this may have been the best time to cash in.

Marte is on a relatively affordable six-year, $105 million extension with a player option in 2031, and has been one of the best second basemen in baseball over the past several seasons. Seattle has struggled to find a player capable of making a lasting impact at second base and a reunion could've fixed that for the remainder of this decade.