"At the end of the 2025 season, the Mariners lost three infielders to free agency, as each of Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez hit the open market. That left shortstop J.P. Crawford as the only lock for the 2026 infield. The M's quickly pounced to bring Naylor back, signing the first baseman to a five-year, $92.5MM deal not long after free agency began."
"Young is a former first-round pick, with the M's taking him 21st overall in 2022. He came into 2025 as a consensus top 100 prospect. He was promoted to the big leagues at the end of May and primarily played second base. He eventually took 257 trips to the plate but produced a tepid .211/.302/.305 line, which translates to a wRC+ of 80. That's obviously less than ideal but there are some reasons for optimism."
"Young's 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate were both strong. His .247 batting average on balls in play was more than 40 points below league average. His average exit velocity of 87.6 miles per hour was subpar but his max exit velo of 114.1 mph was in the top 10% of major league hitters. Perhaps he can tap into that premium velo a bit more as he gets more exposed to big league pitching."
At the end of the 2025 season, the Mariners lost three regular infielders to free agency, leaving J.P. Crawford as the lone guaranteed infielder for 2026. The club re-signed Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5MM contract, while options to re-sign Jorge Polanco or Eugenio Suárez remain possible. Cole Young and Colt Emerson stand out among internal options for second and third base. Young produced mixed major-league results in 2025 but showed strong plate discipline, a high walk rate and underlying contact metrics that suggest potential. Emerson rose through the system in 2025 with strong minor-league production and positional versatility.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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