Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Rocco Baldelli took over the Minnesota Twins for the 2019 season and immediately produced a 101-win season the will forever be remembered as the Bomba Squad. A year later the world shut down, and then in 2021 he managed his first stinker (73-89).
That season had some very odd outliers including Josh Donaldson, Andrelton Simmons, and a career-high 72 games from human turtle Willians Astudillo. Byron Buxton was healthy for just 61 games that season, and that meant multiple people would rotate through centerfield.
Among them was one-time New York Yankees deep cut Rob Refsnyder. He stopped bouncing around in 2022 with Boston, and now he’s a legitimate starter.
Seattle Mariners hand Rob Refsnyder a big check
Last season the Seattle Mariners threatened a World Series appearance on the back of former Minnesota Twins infielder Jorge Polanco. He has since grabbed the bag from the New York Mets. After an impressive stretch with the Boston Red Sox, Seattle is signing Rob Refsnyder.
Mariners roster news: They just announced that they’ve signed veteran 1B/OF Rob Refsnyder to a one-year Major League contract.
It’s for $6.25 million, a source said, and it brings their 40-man roster to capacity.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) December 22, 2025
The former Yankees fifth round pick bounced around after flaming out in New York, but he stuck for four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Despite never playing for more than 93 games in a single season, Refsnyder is cashing in. Having never made more than $2.1 million in a season, this is a serious payday for the journeyman.
His first season in Boston culminated a career-best 143 OPS+ across 57 games. He dipped to an 87 OPS+ in 2023 while playing in 89 games, but turned in a 132 OPS+ the past two seasons across 163 games.
Lefty masher
Welcome to Seattle, Rob Refsnyder!pic.twitter.com/hvx3ai1spg
— Steve (@MarinersSteve) December 22, 2025
Refsnyder is capable of standing in the outfield, but Boston never played him there for more than 500 innings in any single season. He has also not posted positive defensive metrics in any even nominal sample size since 2018.
Why you pay Refsnyder more than $6 million is very clear though. He crushes lefties. In 2025 he batted .302/.399/.560 against southpaws, and he hit seven homers in just 116 at bats. His .826 career OPS against lefties is nearly 200 points higher than against right-handed pitchers.
For a team that spends actual money a $6 million pact is nothing. Seattle now has a platoon bat they can insert wherever, and they should be happy with how things worked out.
Mentioned in this article: Rob Refsnyder
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