The Seattle Mariners announced on Monday that they were signing 35-year-old outfielder Rob Refsnyder to a one-year contract. Refsnyder, a right-handed hitter, is expected to serve in a platoon role in right field along with Victor Robles, and could also platoon with Dominic Canzone as a DH. He’ll also serve as depth in case Robles or Randy Arozarena gets injured, as he can theoretically be a solid replacement starter in either corner outfield slot.

That all makes sense, and he’s the type of player the Mariners will definitely benefit from having. Robles probably can’t be trusted to be the team’s everyday right fielder, and adding Refsnyder shores up the Seattle outfield.

Obviously, every Mariners fan is hoping the move will pay off, but the signing does draw an interesting comparison to another recent Mariners free agent acquisition that blew up in their faces.

Mariners must hope new veteran outfielder does not repeat history

Every Mariners fan remembers AJ Pollock, signed ahead of the 2023 season. Pollock, also going into his age-35 season, was signed to fill the exact role Refsnyder has been signed to fill: play the outfield against left-handed pitchers (he was supposed to platoon with Jarred Kelenic) and provide some pop off the bench.

Pollock was signed coming off a 0.4 bWAR season in 2022, but the Mariners were hoping he could replicate his 3.0 bWAR season with the Dodgers in 2021. Instead, he regressed heavily. He lasted just 49 games with the Mariners, slashing .173/.225/.323, for a 47 OPS+ and -0.5 bWAR. He was traded midseason to the Giants, with whom he played six games before his eventual release.

The Mariners need to hope that Refsnyder will not collapse the way Pollock did. Seattle needs a platoon outfielder they can count on, and Pollock was far from reliable. Refsnyder is coming off a 2025 season in which he was worth 1.2 bWAR in 70 games and finished with a 131 OPS+. He had a 133 OPS+ in 93 games in 2024, when he was worth 0.8 bWAR.

Refsnyder has had more recent success than Pollock had had when he came to Seattle. However, he is the same age as Pollock was when he signed with the Mariners. The team must hope that Refsnyder turns out to be a more productive player this time around.