During the Mariners’ amazing run to the 2025 postseason, promising prospect Ben Williamson ended up making the jump to the big leagues to start at third base. He would be usurped of that spot when the team traded to bring back a former Mariner, Eugenio Suarez, as a proven power bat.
Now, Suarez is a free agent, and his future status in Seattle is a big question mark. Meanwhile, general manager Justin Hollander is starting to run out of options at the hot corner.
Recently, on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, co-host Dave Wyman and producer Mike Lefkodiscussed the possibility of Williamson starting again in 2026. During the segment, Lefko said that while the club’s goal may be to retain Suarez’s services, Williams is a solid option in his second year.
“I’ve still been along the lines of there doesn’t seem to be a downside, at least early on, to bringing Geno Suárez back and letting Williamson still develop,” Lefko said. “There’s not a downside to having your bench be better than what it was last year, where some of these guys you put them in (and) you weren’t sure what you’re getting. You had to put Dylan Moore in there, and he really struggled.
“So, if Ben Williamson is the guy that’s getting every third day if Geno takes a day off or you put him as the DH early on, that’s not an issue. And then you get towards the end of the season, you get to the middle of the season, the trade deadline, you say, look, are we ready to go with Williamson?”
Ben Williamson could take a big step forward in 2028