The official Hot Stove League Thread 2025-26 Offseason

[Bil522]

So here are some interesting points from Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic:

Still searching in Seattle

The Mariners, seeking to rebound from the loss of free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets, remain in the mix for the Diamondbacks’ Marte as well as the Cardinals’ Donovan, according to people briefed on their pursuits.

Donovan’s defensive versatility makes him in some ways a better fit for Seattle. He mostly has played second and left field in the majors, but also has experience at every other position but catcher and center field. With a number of Mariners position prospects getting close to the majors, his ability to move to other spots would be especially valuable.

Marte, 32, is more than three years older than Donovan. Yet, he is under contract for six seasons while Donovan is under club control for only two. He also is the more impactful hitter. His .887 OPS the past three seasons ranks ninth in the majors.

The Mariners are not unfamiliar with Marte, though it has been nearly a decade since he played for them. He signed with Seattle out of the Dominican Republic at age 16 before getting sent to Arizona in Nov. 2016 with pitcher Taijuan Walker for outfielder Mitch Haniger, infielder Jean Segura and pitcher Zac Curtis.

Jerry Dipoto was the Mariners’ general manager then. He is their president of baseball operations now. His interest in re-acquiring Marte indicates that he is not deterred by the 11-year veteran’s clubhouse issues with the DBacks last season


• As of Tuesday, only 21 of The Athletic’s top 50 free agents had reached agreements, and that group included four who accepted qualifying offers.

Baseball free agency moves at its own pace. Teams are just as active exploring trades as they are the open market. And trades this offseason are more difficult to complete for an encouraging reason: Virtually every team is trying to improve.

The St. Louis Cardinals are a notable exception. The Rockies and Chicago White Sox aren’t exactly in “go” mode. But as one executive put it, “No team wants prospects. If you’re willing to take prospects, you’ll get more on the dollar than you will for major-league players.”

• Andrew Knizner became accustomed to limited duty serving as the backup catcher to Yadier Molina with the Cardinals. He’ll be in the same situation after signing a one-year, $1 million contract with the Mariners, playing behind Cal Raleigh.

Only J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith have started more games than Raleigh at catcher over the past three seasons. The Mariners liked Danny Jansen, who agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Texas Rangers, but knew he would want more playing time than they could provide.

Knizner, who bounced from St. Louis to Texas to San Francisco the past three seasons, is a strong defender. He had only a .598 OPS in 88 plate appearances last season, but the Mariners believe he improved his process, adding to his appeal

[D-train]

Mariners believed Knizner improved his process??? LOL

[harmony]

Any chance the Mariners will gamble on Korean infielder Sung Mun Song, whose posting period ends Sunday at 2 pm PST?

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/sung- ... ts/batting

https://www.chosun.com/english/sports-e ... 54F23GH2U/

Song has drawn comparisons with Ha-Seong Kim, the Gold Glove-winning infielder who recently signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, Kim has posted 15.3 bWAR in five MLB seasons despite a career wRC+ of 99.

Song's stats over the past two seasons rival Kim's stats over his last two KBO seasons. Kim posted wRC+ of 145 and 144 in his final two KBO seasons while over the past two years Song has posted wRC+ of 143 and 151. Song is four years older than Kim was in December 2020 when the San Diego Padres brought Kim to the United States.

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ha-se ... ts/batting

Song could be one option as the Mariners look to improve the defense behind their well-regarded pitching staff.

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Mariners believed Knizner improved his process??? LOL

In the overall picture of this team I don’t believe this acquisition makes us less competitive as we were last year. It’s a one yr deal and he can throw and frame. We have Stevenson in the wings who many say is better than Ford. My guess is we will be ok i wasn't a ford fan and it’s quite likely Knizner will do just as well as ford will in 26. Ford has holes in his game. Yes we should have spent more for a backup but it does take both sides to agree

[DavidGee24]

Apparently Bo Bichette is telling teams that he's willing to play second base.

In other news, the Mariner organization is turning a deaf ear to Bo Bichette.

[D-train]

This guy is a fantasy baseball guru and is super into underlying analytics. Sounds like Cole Young has no business being on an MLB roster and could be a bust especially given he was a first round pick.

Screenshot 2025-12-17 100541.png (112.8 KiB) Viewed 284 times

[GL_Storm]

Apparently Bo Bichette is telling teams that he's willing to play second base.

In other news, the Mariner organization is turning a deaf ear to Bo Bichette.

I'm generally less interested in free agents than the rest of you on here, but with Bo going into his age 28 season and willing to move to second base, this is something they should make a serious run at.

[Captain 97]

Only guy worse was Brandon Lowe who some people have suggested trading for.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major ... eitems=200

[D-train]

Mariners believed Knizner improved his process??? LOL

In the overall picture of this team I don’t believe this acquisition makes us less competitive as we were last year. It’s a one yr deal and he can throw and frame. We have Stevenson in the wings who many say is better than Ford. My guess is we will be ok i wasn't a ford fan and it’s quite likely Knizner will do just as well as ford will in 26. Ford has holes in his game. Yes we should have spent more for a backup but it does take both sides to agree

I guess his framing is good and his blocking is bad. Framing is less important with the new challenge system in place. His caught stealing % is 19% well below average which is about 30%. Expect teams to run on him a lot like they did Garver.

Yes I questioned Ford the day he was drafted and was told I was crazy. Hopefully our other 1st round picks this decade will yield more than a project reliever or even will be every day starters for us.

[DavidGee24]

Mariners believed Knizner improved his process??? LOL

In the overall picture of this team I don’t believe this acquisition makes us less competitive as we were last year. It’s a one yr deal and he can throw and frame. We have Stevenson in the wings who many say is better than Ford. My guess is we will be ok i wasn't a ford fan and it’s quite likely Knizner will do just as well as ford will in 26. Ford has holes in his game. Yes we should have spent more for a backup but it does take both sides to agree

I guess his framing is good and his blocking is bad. Framing is less important with the new challenge system in place. His caught stealing % is 19% well below average which is about 30%. Expect teams to run on him a lot like they did Garver.

Yes I questioned Ford the day he was drafted and was told I was crazy. Hopefully our other 1st round picks this decade will yield more than a project reliever or even will be every day starters for us.

I thought that was an odd pick too, although in the minors you'd have to say he's done reasonably well and might manage to wear a major league uniform for more than a few years.