Who to watch in playoffs as potential M’s free-agent targets

The MLB postseason is underway, but it certainly doesn’t have the same feeling as it did a year ago for Seattle Mariners fans.

These four Mariners are set to become free agents

After last year’s run to Game 7 of the ALCS, the Mariners fell well short of expectations in 2026 with a 76-86 record that was good for third place in a historically poor American League West.

While the M’s aren’t playing October baseball this year, there are several players participating in postseason play set to hit free agency who could be of interest to Seattle this offseason.

Many of the soon-to-be free agents to keep an eye on that would appear as fits for Seattle are relievers. There are a couple bats of interest, but some of the most desirable ones – like Cubs outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki – were already eliminated in the wild-card round.

Below are the soon-to-be free agents on teams still alive in the playoffs for M’s fans to keep an eye on the rest of October.

The bats

• UTL Mauricio Dubón. The 32-year-old Dubón, a former Astro, is the quintessential utility player. He has played every position except catcher during his career, including at least 169 games at four different positions, and has two American League utility Gold Gloves to show for it. He’s also played at least 132 games in each of the past four seasons.

Dubón put together his best offensive year this season with Atlanta, producing a .276/.321/.399 slash line with career highs of 12 homers, 28 doubles and 73 RBIs. His 99 wRC+ was also a career best.

Dubón’s defense and versatility would be the biggest reasons to bring him in. But it’s also worth noting that while he has been just a league-average bat at his very best, he’s been a much better hitter against left-handed pitching during his career, an area Seattle struggled mightily in during ’26.

• OF Randal Grichuk. It is very easy to understand why a 35-year-old platoon bat that hits from the right side would not be of interest to Mariners fans, but Grichuk could be at least worth a look.

Grichuk has crushed lefties, posting a career .274/.323/.515 slash line with 90 homers and 117 doubles in 1,850 plate appearances. He is also the rare right-handed platoon bat that has hit well at T-Mobile Park, slashing .288/.327/.500 with two homers and five doubles in 55 plate appearances.

With that said, Grichuk will turn 36 next season, and the M’s haven’t had any luck adding players with a similar profile (see Rob Refsnyder, A.J. Pollock).

The arms

• LHP José Alvarado. It’s been a few years since Alvarado’s dominate 2023 season, but he looks like a potential buy-low target with upside after a year in which he posted a 5.86 ERA and 1.65 WHIP.

Alvarado still generates plenty of swing and miss – his 31.7% chase rate, 27% whiff rate and 25.6% strikeout rate in 2026 were all above average. He was also 93rd percentile with a 4.3% barrel rate and 92nd percentile with a 31.7% hard-hit rate.

The main issue is his command (an 11.4% walk rate this season), but that is something Seattle’s pitching lab could potentially help.

• RHP David Bednar. Bednar, a two-time All-Star, may be the top reliever available in free agency following a strong season with the Yankees. The right-hander had 35 saves while posting a 2.47 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 76 strikeouts to 20 walks over 69 1/3 innings this season.

One look at Bednar’s Baseball Savant page shows he was good to elite at just about everything this year, including a 99th percentile chase rate (38.4%), 89th percentile barrel rate (4.9%) and 99th percentile whiff rate (30.8%).

The 31-year-old Bednar’s splitter is one of the best in baseball. It’s his most-used pitch (41.2%) and opponents hit just .149 (22 for 148) with one homer off it this year.

• RHP Evan Phillips. The 30-year-old Phillips has been solid for the Dodgers since returning from Tommy John surgery in July. In 31 outings, he has a 3.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 33 walks to six strikeouts over 26 innings.

The right-hander excels at both getting swing and miss and limiting walks. He’s posted a strikeout rate of 27.2% or higher in every season since 2002 and walk rate of 7.5% or lower in all but his five-game 2025 season in the same stretch.

Phillips’ sweeper is his standout pitch. Batters have hit under .200 against it in every season since 2021, including batting a meager .059 (2 for 34) against this season.

• LHP Alex Vesia. The left-hander Vesia is another Dodgers relief arm to keep an eye on. He had a 2.64 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 74 strikeouts to 32 walks over 58 innings in 72 appearances this season. It was the fifth time the past six seasons Vesia had a 3.02 ERA or better.

Vesia possess top-notch swing-and-miss. He generated a 33.6% whiff rate and 31.2% strikeout rate in 2026, both 95 percentile or better. But he did walk batters at a 13.5% clip, seventh worst among relievers with at least 50 innings pitched.

Two factors that make Vesia an especially intriguing fit for Seattle are his high flyball rate (53.4%) and extremely high release point (70 degrees). That flyball rate would play better at pitcher friendly T-Mobile Park than most other ballparks, and his release point (the highest among southpaws in baseball in ’26) would serve as a different look in a bullpen that features pitchers with lower release points like Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Jose Ferrer, Gabe Speier and Cooper Criswell.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• M’s player from Luis Castillo trade haul elects free agency
• Seattle Mariners GM addresses 3 players who had down years in 2026
• GM Justin Hollander details what the Mariners have to do better in ’27

Related

AL West: Uncertainty for Astros as manager Espada’s contract expires after wild-card sweepPotential Mariners manager candidate Torey Lovullo staying in ArizonaThese four Mariners are set to become free agentsWhite Sox sweep Astros out of playoffs with 7-3 winWhy Hyphen says Mariners need to ink Logan Gilbert to extensionStacy Rost: 3 thoughts from Mariners’ end-of-season interviews