The Seattle Mariners are still trying to find players that will fill the team’s needs in the infield.
The Mariners are still in search of a first baseman, second baseman and third baseman. The only major league acquisition the team has made was a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for corner infielder Austin Shenton.
Rumors and reports have been rampant over the past several weeks. A lot have mentioned Seattle is interested in reunions with familiar veterans like Carlos Santana or Justin Turner to pair with Luke Raley at first base.
During MLB Winter Meetings, the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish said that the Mariners were hoping to get a deal done with Santana by next week. A full seven days has passed since Winter Meetings concluded, and Santana is still a free agent.
And a surprisingly down market for first basemen in general might be the reason for that.
Per a report from ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan, teams have “balked” at the asking price of available first basemen like Santana or Paul Goldschmidt. Both those players are set to earn one-year deals due to their age but haven’t budged off their initial salary demands, which teams haven’t acquiesced to.
According to the same report, another Mariners first base target, Christian Walker, has been looking for a four-year contract. But teams haven’t been willing to give him longer than a three-year deal.
Santana is coming off the first Gold Glove season of his career. He also hit .238 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2024.
If the market continues to progress the way Passan has reported, then these aforementioned first basemen might not find homes until deep in the offseason.
And that might force Seattle to once again look towards the trade market to find the first baseman to pair with Raley for 2025.