Fantasy Baseball Year in Review – Seattle Mariners

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    Last Updated on November 17, 2025 3:56 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: November 17, 2025

    The Mariners disappointed in 2024 (fired manager in-season; missed playoffs by just one game) but overachieved most preseason expectations in 2025. Despite making few changes heading into the 2025 season, they sensed a playoff run this summer so they made two big acquisitions at the trade deadline by landing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.

    Although Suárez was miserable (.189 average with a 35.9% K%), Naylor was outstanding and paired with a historic season from catcher Cal Raleigh (60 homers!!) to help the Mariners increase their win total by five games. They finished 90-72 and won the AL West by three games over the Houston Astros. As the No. 2 seed, they earned a bye in the first round and went on to edge the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, 3-2. The Mariners went the distance in the ALCS, too, but lost a heart-breaking Game 7 to the Toronto Blue Jays.

    Catcher

    Wow, Cal Raleigh, you were AWESOME! Prior to this year, no catcher had ever hit 50 home runs in season. No switch hitters had ever homered 55 times in a season. Raleigh blew by both of those records by hitting SIXTY! His final line was that of a true superstar: .247/.359/.598 with 60 homers, 125 RBI and 110 runs scored. He also stole 14 bases! All those glorious numbers added up to a Top 5 player and a tremendous bargain for those who drafted him near his 85 ADP. Raleigh has improved his BB% in back-to-back years and set personal highs in exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate. His advanced/expected stats supported his production so there’s every reason to expect another great year in 2026. Yes, it will be hard to duplicate a Top 5 player rating but he is a lock to be the first catcher picked in 2026 drafts and could easily be worth a second or third round selection.

    First Base

    It was a whirlwind year for Josh Naylor but that didn’t stop him from having a career year. He was traded from the Guardians to the Diamondbacks in the offseason and then traded in July from the D-backs to the Mariners. You expect the homers and RBI from Naylor. What you don’t expect is the .295 batting average (he hit .308 in 2023 but has a .269 lifetime average) and you definitely don’t expect 30 stolen bases. That’s right; he stole 30 bases! Naylor had just 25 steals in his previous six years combined. He ran well with the D-backs (11 steals) but really took off with the Mariners by stealing 19 bases in just 54 games.  And check out his efficiency: he was only caught twice!

    Naylor exceeded his expected stats by hitting .295/.353/.462 with 20 homers, 92 RBI and 81 runs scored to finish as a Top 25 player. He is a free agent in the offseason and his average/power/steal combo will be highly desired by MLB teams and fantasy managers alike. Regardless of where he plays next year, Naylor will command a much earlier pick in 2026 drafts than he did this year when his ADP was around 100.

    Second Base

    Jorge Polanco’s batting average (.265) and on-base percentage (.326) were big improvements from the previous year and were nearly identical to his career averages. In addition, he provided more bang this year by hitting 26 home runs, the second highest total of his career. Polanco scored 64 runs, had 78 RBI and stole six bases. Some of his success can be attributed to a drastically improve strikeout rate. After a dismal 29.2% K% in 2024 (worst of his career), he cut that number almost in half to 15.6%, one of the best of his career.

    Polanco had a nice bounce-back year and far exceeded his negligible ADP by finishing among the Top 140 players. He is a free agent this offseason and some of his 2026 value depends on where he calls home. Initially, there doesn’t seem any reason to expect the 32-year-old to improve next year, so draft him somewhere between No. 150 and 200.

    Third Base

    Eugenio Suárez had a topsy-turvy year with a touch of déjà vu. He played the first half of the year in Arizona but the team shed the upcoming free agent at the trade deadline when they seemingly had fallen out of the playoff race. Where did he go? Well, the D-backs sent Suárez to Seattle, the team for which he played in 2022 and 2023.

    Not only did Suárez play for two different teams this year, but he also played like two different players. He had a monster first half by hitting .248 and blasting 36 homers with the D-backs. However, his average plummeted to just .189 and he hit just 13 homers in the second half with Seattle. The Mariners surely expected far better production from the slugger as they chased a playoff spot. Despite his second half slump, Suárez was highly successful in 2025 by hitting .228/.298/.526 with 49 homers and setting career-highs in runs scored (91) and RBI (118).  He finished as a Top 5 third baseman and a Top 50 overall player. Also, he provided great value to fantasy managers who drafted Suárez near his 175 ADP.

    Suárez is a .246 career hitter but has a poor .211 average at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. He is probably best served signing elsewhere for 2026. He probably won’t repeat his outstanding first half production and he should be better than he was in the second half, so look for him in the 100-125 range in next year’s drafts.

    Shortstop

    J.P. Crawford batted .265/.352/.370 with 12 homers, 58 RBI and a career-best 8-for-9 in SB attempts. It was a good bounce-back year after he hit just .202 in an injury-shortened 2024 season. Actually, 2025 was one of his better years because he achieved his second highest wRC+ (113) and third highest WAR (2.8). Many of Crawford’s advanced metrics were close to his career averages. The 30-year-old veteran was an afterthought in 2025 drafts but ended up providing late round value and finished as a Top 25 shortstop. Expect a similar year in 2026 when he’ll likely be best suited for deep leagues rather than conventional 12-teamers.

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    November 17, 2025, 3:56 pm