For the majority of this season, the common refrain around the Seattle Mariners was “just wait.” Seattle struggled out of the gate, but the Mariners are largely still the team that pushed Toronto to the brink in the ALCS a year ago — at least on paper, minus an MVP-caliber Cal Raleigh, whose sudden decline is best viewed as karmic retribution for not shaking Randy Arozarena’s hand in the World Baseball Classic. (Okay, we have no clue what’s up for Raleigh, other than his timing is off. He’s being buried by fastballs.)
The Mariners still look so much better than their 56-63 record and -19 run differential would suggest. But Seattle has to face the music. The Mariners have lost five of six and are 3.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. Houston has steadily pulled ahead in the division, with Texas now a more distant second. There is still more than enough time left for Seattle to figure this out, but watching the Mariners feels like watching a team that will not figure it out. And if the spiral continues, these players could end up on the chopping block.
OF Weston Wilson
Weston Wilson has split this season between Baltimore and Seattle, struggling to accomplish much of anything at the plate. He has a .616 OPS and 80 wRC+, with exceedingly poor defensive metrics at third base. Wilson has had successful stints as a right-handed platoon bat in the past and he offers some hypothetical versatility as a defender, able to slide to first base or left field. But he’s failing consistently across the board right now.
Wilson is technically under club control through 2030, but he’s 31 years old and far less useful now that Brendan Donovan is back from the IL. The Mariners hitting Wilson with a DFA wouldn’t be the least bit shocking. He’s hitting .202 with an expected .173 average, so there’s not much hope for a late-season resurrection.
OF Víctor Robles
Víctor Robles briefly peaked in 2024 after the Mariners plucked him out of Washington, but it has been downhill ever since. Robles has made his money with aggressive base-running and solid defense over the years, and he can still contribute on those fronts. The bat is a complete nonfactor, however: Robles has a .555 OPS and 65 wRC+ on the year in 126 plate appearances. That’s more than enough of a sample size to put on fork in the experiment.
The Taylor Ward trade blocked Robles out of right field anyway. He’s still their fourth outfielder, but top prospects Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes are lurking in Triple-A, while Brennen Davis and Connor Joe are already on the 40-man roster. A free agent at season’s end, Robles’ Mariners tenure is approaching its end already. Whether Seattle is looking for a real boost or simply holding late-season tryouts to finish a lost season, there’s not much reason to keep Robles around.
RHP Nick Davila
To be honest, the Mariners don’t have a ton of expendable pitchers right now. Seranthony Domínguez is probably their most volatile reliever, but he was acquired in the Luis Castillo trade and he has a beefy $10.5 million salary on the books next season, so he’s probably sticking around — for now.
Nick Davila, 27, has toggled between Triple-A and the Majors this season. He has a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 23.1 innings with the Mariners. He also has three options left, so if Seattle decides to sign another pitcher or pull the literal and figurative ace out of their sleeve (Kade Anderson), Davila can easily be moved back to the Minors until 2027. Davila creates soft, ground-ball contact at a prodigious rate, but his microscopic 9.3 percent strikeout rate leaves him vulnerable to death by a thousand cuts.
INF Colt Emerson
Colt Emerson was Seattle’s No. 1 prospect coming into the season and a consensus top-10 prospect in MLB, so of course the Mariners aren’t about to cut him. That said, a move back down to Triple-A feels entirely possible. Emerson has major tools and he’s up to eight homers on the year, but his .599 OPS and 72 wRC+ are difficult to stomach for a team with postseason ambitions.
It’s not like he is picking up steam either, as Emerson is hitting .168 with a .409 OPS since the calendar flipped to July. The whole sales pitch with Emerson in the Minors was an elite hit tool — a quick, accurate lefty stroke that allowed him to make consistent contact, spray hits to all fields and get on base at a godly clip. It’s far too early to give up on the 21-year-old, but he’s in way over his head right now and there’s no point in keeping him on the MLB roster unless Seattle simply waives the white flag and is determined to let him play through it.
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