As things stand here early in the offseason, Luke Raley is a safe bet to be the Mariners’ opening day first baseman next season. The Mariners are comfortable with the defensive improvements that Raley — an outfielder for the vast majority of his career — made at first base this past season, and they view the left-handed-hitting slugger as a viable option as half of a first-base platoon going into 2025.
The front office, though, is open to adding another first baseman via trade or free agency.
The Mariners are in the market for two “impactful” infielders this offseason, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said this week.
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And because of the positional versatility, the Mariners already have on the roster with Raley, Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore, those two new infielders could be either a first baseman, a second baseman or a third baseman.
“It will be some combination (of that) on the infield, depending on what’s available to us,” Dipoto said.
The Mariners are not expected to be engaged with top-of-the-market free agents like longtime Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. They have been linked to more modest upgrades, such as second baseman Hye-Seong Kim, who will reportedly be posted this winter by his KBO team in South Korea.
And Dipoto has made clear that the Mariners would be open to re-signing veteran Justin Turner, who could again pair with Raley in a first base-slash-designated hitter role.
As we continue our offseason position overviews, here’s a look at what options the Mariners have at first base and who else they might consider for 2025: Depth chart
Luke Raley
Mitch Garver
Tyler Locklear
Key number: 15 — Of Raley’s 22 home runs this year, he hit 15 of them at T-Mobile Park, posting .901 OPS in 69 games at home.
Key offseason question: How much payroll flexibility do the Mariners have to spend in the first base market?
Key quote: “He’s a guy who just has a lot of tools. He can run, plays good defense and can really swing the bat. He’s a guy who has really flourished in all areas, and it’s been a really good year for Luke.” — M’s manager Dan Wilson on Luke Raley
Raley is also comfortable with the idea of playing first base more regularly next season.
“Obviously, I take pride in being a good defender wherever I am,” Raley said late in the season. “And being able to play four positions, as a player that just increases your value to the team.”
Raley, 30, had a breakthrough season in his first year with the Mariners, setting career highs in games played (137), runs (58), hits (98), home runs (22) and RBI (58). He made appearances at every single spot in the batting order, and he played all three outfield positions (with 60 appearances in right, nine in center and 36 in left) plus first base (41).
He was one of MLB’s hottest hitters over the final two months, with 11 homers, eight doubles, 29 RBI and a .980 OPS from Aug. 1 on.
The majority of Raley’s 41 appearances at first base came after the Mariners moved on from Ty France in late July. (France, by the way, was effectively non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds last week and is now a free agent. A reunion with the Mariners is unlikely this offseason.)
Raley was the starting first baseman for 16 of the 34 games the Mariners played under new manager Dan Wilson to close out the season, with Turner getting the majority of the other starts.
During pregame drills, Raley worked closely with infield coach Perry Hill on his defense, helping Raley get more comfortable with his footwork and positioning at first.
“There’s no substitute for hard work, and he’s a grinder,” Hill said. “To me, he’s improved a lot in all phases, especially picking balls. He’s worked on that every day. He puts in the work every day, so it’s not a surprise that he’s gotten better.”
Could the Mariners make a splash? If the Mariners were open to the idea of trading one of their four young starting pitchers, perhaps Boston’s young first baseman, Triston Casas, could be in play. It’s not entirely clear how much wiggle room the Mariners have available in player payroll. If they were able to commit something like $17-20 million in free agency, perhaps they could entice Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker.
But if the Mariners instead make more meaningful upgrades at second and third base, they could pair Raley with the two right-handed-hitting candidates already on the roster: veteran catcher/DH Mitch Garver and rookie Tyler Locklear. Garver had a disappointing first season with the Mariners after signing a two-year, $24 million free-agent contract last winter. He was relegated mostly to a backup catcher role in the second half of the season.
Locklear, the Mariners’ second-round draft pick in 2022, turned a strong start to the minor-league season into a big-league promotion in June. The 23-year-old with prodigious power had a few bright moments in his first tastes of the majors, but he looked mostly overmatched (striking out 20 times in his 49 plate appearances) and was sent back down to finish the season in Triple-A Tacoma.Turner, who turns 40 later this month, remains a possibility to return to Seattle for what would be his 17th MLB season. He hit .264 with a .766 OPS and 24 RBI in 48 games for the Mariners after being acquired ahead of July’s trade deadline.
“In addition to being what we thought we were getting with Justin Turner — a veteran who had been on winning teams with a good clubhouse presence and a professional approach at the plate, multiply that times however much you’d like, that’s actually what we got,” Dipoto said. “He’s like a hitting coach in a player’s uniform who understands situations and conveys that to the other guys on the field. That’s been a big gap for us, and I think that’s a priority for us in the offseason, maintaining that type of leadership in our clubhouse.”
Adam Jude:
ajude@seattletimes.com; Adam Jude covers the Mariners and other teams for The Seattle Times.
