Should the Mariners re-sign Randy Arozarena?

The Seattle Mariners have much of their core locked up through at least the 2027 season and beyond, but that group doesn’t include All-Star left fielder Randy Arozarena.

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Arozarena, who has been the club’s most consistent presence throughout this season, is set to become a free agent this offseason. And with the way he has played in a contract year, which includes putting together one of the greatest single-game performances in Mariners history on Saturday, he has set himself up for a nice pay day.

Arozarena is making $15.65 million this season in his final year of arbitration, and it’s reasonable to believe he will command a multi-year deal worth an average of at least $20 million per year when he gets a new contract. So, should the Mariners pursue re-signing their 31-year-old left fielder? ESPN’s Jesse Rogers weighed in when he joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Monday.

“I think I would,” Rogers said. “It’s not always easy to find good hitters in (T-Mobile Park) a lot of times. Cal (Raleigh) had his season, but then it’s gone backwards. So, Randy seems kind of integral to that team (with) some of the things he’s done this year that endeared himself to the fan base. So, I think I would. Like I said, it’s not always easy to find guys that hit well there, and you have one. So yeah, I think I would make a play that to keep him.”

One of baseball’s best left fielders

Before Arozarena arrived in Seattle in a trade on July 26, 2024, left field had been a revolving door for the M’s for years. The club had different opening day starters at the position in every season from 2015-24. When Arozarena made the opening day start there this year, he was the first left fielder to make back-to-back opening day starts for Seattle since Dustin Ackley did in 2014 and ’15.

Since his arrival, Arozarena has been one of baseball’s best left fielders.

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In 337 games since the trade, Arozarena has produced 7.6 fWAR while slashing .250/.350/.433 with a .783 OPS, 52 homers, 72 doubles and 55 stolen bases. He’s first among primary left fielders in stolen bases, second in on-base percentage, fifth in home runs and fWAR, and sixth in OPS during that stretch. He’s also second with a 129 wRC+, which takes into account that Arozarena has put up his numbers while playing half his game at pitcher friendly T-Mobile Park.

He’s also been the league’s best left fielder in 2026. He’s first at the position in fWAR (3.8) and wRC+ (144) while producing a .275/.369/.467 slash line with an .836 OPS, 20 homers, 26 doubles and 20 stolen bases.

The big knock on Arozarena is his defense, which at times looks lackadaisical. This year he’s posted one defensive run saved but minus-five outs above average and a minus-seven fielding run value. However, any new deal for Arozarena should come with the understanding that more days as a designated hitter are in his future, and it could be argued that the offensive value he brings greatly outweighs the defensive miscues.

What if he leaves?

The Mariners do have some internal options if Arozarena joins a new team during the offseason, but none that would likely provide the impact he does, at least in the immediate future.

The M’s could have Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley and Victor Robles all back next year, though they may be more in the right field mix than left field. Canzone and Raley are still under club control, and Robles has a club option for next season. However, Raley, who has struggled to stay healthy that past two seasons, could be a non-tender candidate and Robles’ option being picked up is no guarantee.

Randy Arozarena reaches milestone with leadoff HR

Seattle could also decide recent trade acquisition Taylor Ward is a cheaper and more feasible option to re-sign. After all, he was the last first-round pick M’s president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander made during their time with the Los Angeles Angels. But Ward’s short Mariners tenure has been underwhelming thus far, as he’s hit just .136 with a .390 OPS and one extra-base hit in 12 games. Ward also hasn’t been much better of a defender than Arozarena in recent years.

Top prospects Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes also figure to factor into the conversation for next year’s outfield. Both have made their way to Triple-A this season and have hit well since being promoted in early July. But rolling into 2027 with either penciled in as a starting outfielder would come with some risk, as both are bat-first prospects with defensive question marks. And in the case of Montes, there are concerns about how his 30.3% strikeout rate across Double-A and Triple-A this year will translate to the majors.

Free agency could be another route Seattle turns to for an Arozarena replacement, but outside of Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki – who is a year older and may command an even bigger deal than Arozarena – the rest of the outfield free agent class is mostly made up of bounce-back candidates or aging players.

Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app. 

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