Seattle Mariners Reportedly Hopeful of Landing Key Player Before Winter Meetings End

According to a new report from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the Seattle Mariners are reportedly hopeful of landing at least one reliever by the time the winter meetings end on Dec. 10.

Per Jude:

Seattle has checked in on a range of candidates, both via free agency and trade possibilities, and sources with knowledge of the club’s plans say the Mariners are hopeful of landing at least one reliever by the end of the MLB Winter Meetings next week in Orlando, Fla.

Jude also indicates that the M’s are prioritizing a left-handed reliever to pair with Gabe Speier, who made 76 regular season appearances this season. Currently, Robinson Ortiz is the only other lefty on the 40-man roster.

He says that the Mariners are looking to add two relievers in total, likely from the second-tier of available players. He lists free agents Hoby Milner and Tyler Rogers as possibilities. Rogers is a right-hander.

The Mariners currently have five bullpen spots accounted for, as long as everyone is healthy. Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo, Speier and Carlos Vargas make up those spots. A new lefty would make up a sixth, and another signing would make seven.

That would leave the likes of Jackson Kowar, Casey Legumina, Troy Taylor, Randy Dobnak and Alex Hoppe to battle for the last spot. Hoppe just joined the Refuse to Lose podcast, and you can listen to that episode here.

After getting to the American League Championship Series in 2025, the Mariners clearly are close to getting to the World Series, but it’s evident they need a little more help in the ‘pen.

Help in the bullpen would alleviate the stress on the current group of leverage relievers, while also helping shorten games and take the burden off the starters.

However, given that the Mariners have pressing needs at third base and designated hitter, it’s somewhat surprising to see them willing to spend money on the bullpen. It’s good, but still surprising.

The winter meetings begin on Dec. 7 in Orlando and run through the 10th, with the Rule-5 Draft taking place on the 11th.

We spoke to Buster Olney of ESPN on Thursday on the Refuse to Lose podcast and we will have another full episode coming in preparation on Friday, in which we’ll talk with longtime baseball reporter Kristie Ackert of the Sporting News.

LATEST PODCAST IS OUT: Brady Farkas is back for the the latest episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast! He is back from Thanksgiving, talking about the M’s surging popularity, an underrated storyline for 2026 and much more, including a conversation with newest Mariner, Alex Hoppe. CLICK HERE:

HOW THE M’s HANDLE POLANCO: Jorge Polanco reportedly wants to come back to the M’s, and the M’s reportedly want him back, so what should the sales pitch be? CLICK HERE:

UNDER THE RADAR STORYLINE: With the price of pitching going up in the big leagues, it’s time for the M’s minor leaguers to take a major step. CLICK HERE:

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that’s free too!

Seattle Mariners Reportedly Hopeful of Landing Key Player Before Winter Meetings End

Tags: