The Seattle Mariners signed veteran utility player Rob Refsnyder to a one-year deal on Monday night, and for the record, I like the move.

Refsnyder is one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitchers and he'll be a nice addition to the lineup. He can start games or pinch-hit late against tough relievers, and he can hit in the upper-tier of the lineup, like he did with the Boston Red Sox.

However, his rostering leaves some real questions for the rest of the roster.

As it sits right now

The Mariners will need 13 position players when they break spring training in March of 2026, so here's an early look:

C: Cal Raleigh 

1B: Josh Naylor

2B: Cole Young

SS: JP Crawford

3B: Ben Williamson/Colt Emerson

LF: Randy Arozarena

CF: Julio Rodriguez

RF: Victor Robles/Dominic Canzone

BENCH: 

Andrew Knizner

Victor Robles/Dominic Canzone

An extra infielder, either Colt Emerson, Ben Williamson, Leo Rivas or Ryan Bliss

Rob Refsnynder

Luke Raley

***One player included on the bench will be the designated hitter.

The presumption right now

As of this moment, the presumption is that Canzone will serve as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching, and Luke Raley will play right field.

Against lefties? Refsnyder will play DH and Victor Robles will play right field.

Of course, Robles could have the everyday role, as he did in 2024, but this is a clean way of looking at things for now.

MORE MARINERS STORIES:

The Mariners are hesitant to acquire a 2B, here's why

Seattle Mariners Make Intriguing Signing Right Before Holiday

ESPN's Buster Olney understands why M's didn't over extend for Polanco

What happens if the Mariners acquire Brendan Donovan?

Well, Donovan has been linked to the Mariners all offseason, but they haven't made a deal happen yet. That said, if they acquire him, things get much more hairy.

The report is out that the M's really like Cole Young and don't want to block him.

So: If Donovan is here, is he the designated hitter against righties? Is Canzone then in right field? Is there a need for Raley?

Or, if Donovan is here, could the M's actually put him at second base and send Young to Triple-A? Doubtful, but possible. Could they use him as a super-utility player?

Would Donovan also play in the DH spot against lefties, forcing Refsnyder to right field and Robles to the bench? Would Donovan sit against lefties? Would Donovan play second and Young goes to the bench?

While the Refsynder move is a good one - it does leave a lot of question marks moving forward, questions we further examined on the most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast, which you can hear three times each week.

Join the Conversation

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!