How the Contending Seattle Mariners Plan to Inject Young Talent to Boost Their 2026 Run .MH
There no doubt will be plenty of Seattle Mariners talk around Thanksgiving tables this week, and we were fortunate at Seattle Sports to get a jump on that talk with our Mariners Thanksgiving Special, with all three of the daily shows having a dedicated hour of new M’s interviews airing Wednesday discussing the team’s 2025 season and looking ahead to 2026.
While there was much to be thankful for in ’25 when it comes to the Mariners, the hope is that there will be even more at this time next year. The process of constructing a team that can build upon what was accomplished in ’25 is underway.
It is a different process this winter, as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander must approach it from the place of giving some priority to the introduction of young hitters that they believe can become core players for years to come.
“This is essentially how do we keep impact bats in the lineup while we introduce players like Cole Young and Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson and give them the opportunity while the lineup keeps churning to go win a championship in that given year,” Dipoto said to Bump and Stacy. “And I think that’s the place we are in our current development and we have to figure out how to straddle that line.”
The next wave of prospects is approaching the doorstep, and unlike the recent past, this group will be wielding bats. Unlike the pitchers the Mariners have had success with, this group will need to play every day. Their introduction, particularly on a team with big expectations, is more complicated.
“I think for us, it’s always going to be about making sure that we develop players at the appropriate pace and that we allow them to push people out of the way,” Hollander said on Brock and Salk. “And when they tell us it’s their time, don’t artificially block them, but also then be willing to ride the highs and the lows.”
The Mariners got a taste of the rookie highs and lows last year when debuting Young, their first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. While Young’s .211/.302/.305 slash line for a .607 OPS in 77 games was not dazzling, Hollander saw his progression after a 1-for-19 start pay off in both his development and contribution to the team.
“He made an adjustment and had a great six or seven weeks where he was in control of the strike zone,” Hollander said. “He played good defense. He was a sort of a vital cog in the bottom half of our lineup.”
Hollander acknowledged Young appeared to run out of gas following a nice run that ended in mid-August (and included the longest home run by any Mariners player in 2025).
“Cole Young last year is a great example of giving guys a little room, getting some benefits, and also understanding that maybe he did run out of gas a little bit at the end and being willing to adjust appropriately,” Hollander said. “We were fortunate enough that we (had Jorge Polanco), we have Leo Rivas that could go give him some room to breathe. And as we got into the playoffs, we weren’t counting on him to go catch his breath again.
“I’m confident next year when we get into the season that he will have caught his breath, he will have made the next adjustment, and he will be off and running. But you kind of have to have that balance.”
Young’s stumble was something that can be a part of the process, and the Mariners were equipped to handle it – and will continue to need to be with “draft, develop and trade” the bedrock of their roster building. While the low-expectation years of “run them out there and let the kids play” should be firmly behind the Mariners, the development of young talent will continue to be a priority.
“You have to have a feel for when (their) time is coming,” Dipoto said. “And the best way to adapt your roster to it is to acquire as many versatile players as you can. So in our case, and I’ll point at our field of play, have as many guys on your team as possible that can move to different positions so that you can accommodate the next young player that is going to be implemented.”
With Emerson’s projected debut – perhaps as early as opening day – as well as the continued development of Young, Williamson and Harry Ford, and top prospects including Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo not too far behind, the balance of roster and playing time will be key. You might as well add patience to the list too, particularly in the first half.
“It’s never going to be perfect. You’re never going to have the team that you want to have in September in April,” Hollander said. “Young players bring uncertainty over time, and giving them the runway to show who they can be, to prove that they can or can’t fill a role and then being willing to go out and adjust along the way, I think is important.”
