Could Seattle Mariners Bring Back Former Players as 'Veteran Infield Presence?'

The Seattle Mariners finally have a new manager in place after a month-long search that resulted in the team hiring former Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler.

Now that the Mariners' manager search is over, the attention of the club will be paid toward the roster. Seattle will have about three weeks until the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the MLB and MLB Players Association expires to make those moves.

Following Kanzler's official introduction as the team's new skipper Wednesday, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto expanded on the club's focus this offseason.

Per Dipoto, the team will be looking for one-to-two hitters, at least one reliever and a "veteran infield presence."

Dipoto said the veteran infield presence could be separate from the bats. This could mean that the team views those hitters as every day players, and a veteran infield could either  overlap with that category or be its own acquisition.

If the offseason progresses the way of the latter for Seattle, that might leave the door for reunions with one-of-two former players: first baseman Carlos Santana or third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

Both players are free agents who are coming off very different seasons.

Suarez signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds with a $16 million mutual option for 2027, which was declined by the Reds. He slashed .212/.307/.433 with a .740 OPS in 125 games and hit 18 doubles and 26 home runs with 74 RBIs.

Santana spent 2026 with two different organizations: the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves. He spent the majority of the season in the minor leagues and played eight games. He slashed .083/.154/.125 in 24 at-bats. He had two hits, one of them a double.

Santana played with the Mariners in the second half of the 2022 season, where he contributed to the team breaking its 21-year playoff drought and developed a relationship with then-rookie, now franchise superstar Julio Rodriguez. Santana finished his stint in the Pacific Northwest with a .693 OPS in 79 games and hit 15 home runs with 39 RBIs.

Santana was close to reuniting with Seattle before the 2025 season, but opted instead to return to the Cleveland Guardians in hopes of ending his career where he spent 10 of his first 11 years in the major leagues.

Suarez was teammates with Santana in the '22 season. He endeared himself to the organization and the city to the point that his trademark catchphrase, "good vibes only," is still on a sign in the hallway between the Mariners dugout and clubhouse.

Seattle traded Suarez to Arizona on Nov. 22, 2023, but brought him back at the trade deadline July 31, 2025. Suarez helped contribute to the M's run to the American League Championship Series. In the playoffs, Suarez hit two home runs in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays on Oct. 17, 2025, including the go-ahead grand slam in the 6-2 win.

The Mariners opted not to re-sign Suarez at the end of the 2025 season. Seattle had another opportunity to bring him back in September after the Reds placed him on waivers, but no team claimed him.

With both players free agents and close to the end of their careers, there's a chance both of them would be significantly less expensive than prior offseasons, which would make it more palatable for Seattle to inquire about either.

If the Mariners are interested in signing either for cheap, it could also provide a benefit to the team beyond on-the-field impact.

Dipoto and the front office discussed the team's lack of identity in 2026. Seattle finished 76-86 and five games out of first place in the American League West after entering the season with World Series aspirations.

Kanzler has already said that he won't impose an identity on the team and will place the focus simply on winning games in any kind of matter he can. Bringing in at least one of the respected veterans like Santana and Suarez, both of whom have relationships with returning key contributors on the roster, can help forge that identity. It could also bring a level of accountability to the clubhouse, which was something several players said was missing this past season.