Crawford, 31, is the longest-tenured Mariner, having arrived in 2019. He\u2019s had an eventful career, first appearing as an all-glove-no-bat shortstop before a swing change in 2023 made him one of the best players in the league. He battled injuries and poor luck in 2024 but turned it around in 2025, although inconsistency at the plate limited his season overall. Crawford in 2025 posted four months with a 115 wRC+ or better, and he posted two months with a wRC+ less than 100. This all worked out to a 113 wRC+, which ranked 10th among qualified shortstops.<\/p>\n
The Mariners might be willing to accept that up-and-down performance, but Crawford struggles in every other aspect of the game. His -9 Fielding Run Value last year ranked second worst among shortstops, as part of a years-long slide in the field. He doesn\u2019t have good range anymore, and he doesn\u2019t have the arm strength to make up for it. He also struggles on the bases, as one of the slowest shortstops in the league. When he hits, as he did for two-thirds of 2025, he\u2019s a more than solid option at a premium position. When he slumps, he\u2019s a replacement level player.<\/p>\n And the Mariners now have their replacement. Exactly when and why they\u2019ll make the call on Emerson is unclear, and it\u2019s possible they slot him into the lineup at another position with Crawford still at short. It\u2019s also possible Emerson struggles upon his debut, and I doubt the team would forgo contingency before giving him the full-time job. But the Mariners are in win-now mode, and they aren\u2019t likely to give Crawford 600 plate appearances for the sake of loyalty if he\u2019s struggling. For the first time as a Mariner, Crawford is no longer the future at shortstop, and he\u2019ll have to earn his playing time to stick around.<\/p>\n While he may no longer be the future of the Mariners, it\u2019s worth noting he is still very much the past. Crawford needs just 16 more games to pass Jose Lopez for 10th most games played by a batter in team history. With 610 plate appearances, he\u2019ll pass Raul Ibanez for ninth. With 2.8 WAR, he\u2019ll pass Bret Boone and Mike Cameron for 11th, and with 3.6 WAR he\u2019ll pass Robinson Can\u00f3 for 10th. Crawford is surely one of the best players in the history of the franchise, and it would nice to see him, at the very least, hang on to be commemorated at the Mariners 50th Season Spectacular in August.<\/p>\n The Mariners in a corresponding move Thursday optioned infielder Ryan Bliss to Tacoma. Bliss got two plate appearances as a pinch hitter on Saturday and struck out in both of them. He spent most of last year on the injured list after tearing his biceps while swinging. Bliss remains interesting org depth and has demonstrated the ability to draw walks and put the ball in play in the minors. He will likely find his way back to the majors at some point this season, although there\u2019s no clear path to playing time around the infield at the moment. He has four in-season options remaining, according to Darren Gossler\u2019s payroll tracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-02-at-2.52.22PM.png\"\/)
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