SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners had a strong start to what's arguably the most important offseason in franchise history.

The Mariners made it all the way to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series before ultimately falling short to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The first priority for the Mariners in the offseason to ensure they can get back was to bring back first baseman Josh Naylor. Seattle accomplished that by signing him to a five-year, $92.5 million contract.

There's several more moves the Mariners can make before the start of spring training. But even when players report to spring camp, there could be the possibility that several in-house players could make an impression due to the biggest international competition of the sport.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will overlap for roughly two weeks of spring training across the major leagues.

Several Seattle players, including American League MVP finalists — catcher Cal Raleigh and center fielder Julio Rodriguez — are expected to compete in the WBC.

The Mariners will have more players take part in the international competition and that can open the door for more players to find themselves with extended opportunities.

"I would venture to guess that we are gonna be as hard-hit as just about anybody in the (World Baseball Classic)," Seattle president of baseball operations said after a News conference Tuesday. "We have so many players representing so many countries. We have a lot of U.S.-born pitchers that are pretty good for a team that desperately wants to go win a championship. I think we'll be heavily hit. We already have been in terms of requests and players who acknowledged they're going to play. It should be really exciting for us. There's almost no WBC team that I can imagine lining up that's not going to have a Mariners player on it. And it does give you an opportunity to see invitees to camp, to see guys that might be option players on the back-15 of a major league roster. It could be that we get to see young prospects who would not otherwise get a ton of 'A-game' action.

"You're gonna see it for 10 days, two weeks in the middle of spring training. And I think that is great for players like Jonny Farmelo, who really hasn't had a chance to do that in a major league camp aside from a call over. When those guys get the ability to play every day against other top-end competition, you feel it. Antlers come out and they let it hunt and you get to see exactly what they're capable of."

The Mariners won't be the only team affected by the WBC. But with the team's stacked farm system, the potential for roster additions and the major leaguers that will remain at camp, the club will have an interesting two weeks of spring training that could have ripples into 2026.

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