SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will have several important decisions to make for the 2026 roster.

The 2025 Mariners came closer than any other team in franchise history to winning an American League pennant. They lost in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to the Toronto Blue Jays on Oct. 20.

In a series of news scrums Thursday, team manager Dan Wilson, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander all expressed similar sentiments: they're determined for this year to be the beginning of something rather than a one-and-done situation.

A key part for Seattle to reach and exceed the point it reached this year will be preserving the makeup of the team while integrating new pieces.

First baseman Josh Naylor, third baseman Eugenio Suarez and second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco either will or are expected to be free agents. Other players like backup catcher Mitch Garver are also expected to hit the open market.

Re-signing Naylor is the team's No. 1 priority in free agency, but there are several intriguing players that could take over open roster spots in 2026. Many of whom are currently at the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz.

The Mariners' farm system has been lauded as one of the best in baseball for two years. At one point this season, the organization boasted an MLB-leading nine top 100 prospects on respective rankings from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.

This year, due to injuries to starters on the rotation, infield and outfield, several prospects got a chance to shine. Preseason top 100 prospect Cole Young was the team's starting second baseman for a healthy chunk of the year, starting pitcher Logan Evans started 15 games among injuries to the rotation, third baseman Ben Williamson was the team's go-to starter at the hot corner before it acquired Suarez at the trade deadline and top 100 prospect Harry Ford was on the roster as the team's No. 3 catcher in September and through the playoffs.

"I spent some time on the plane back a few minutes with Ben Williamson and Cole Young, just telling them how proud I am of them," Hollander said Thursday. "It's really hard to come to the big leagues and essentially jump from most of the Triple-A experience and do it for a good team. And those guys did it on a good team and they made real contributions on a good team and they carried themselves the right way every day, and they fit in with their teammates and they did it a great job."

Those aforementioned players who debuted in 2025 could all take on extended roles in 2026, and there's a chance they could be joined by more minor leaguers.

The organization's top prospect, Colt Emerson (No. 9 MLB Pipeline top 100, No. 12 Baseball America top 100), made his way up the ranks to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, after beginning the year with the High-A Everett AquaSox. He was on Seattle's postseason taxi squad to end the year.

"Colt Emerson will play a part in our season, I'm certain of that, in 2026," Dipoto said Thursday. "His rise has been quick. We've got, depending on who the system or grading group is, we've got eight or nine of the top 100 prospects in baseball. And those guys tend to come quick. And we let them go when they're ready."

The front office won't sacrifice roster spots for the sake of getting the prospects playing time. If the top brass is confident in their ability to contribute, they'll get their opportunities. But confidence is one thing that has never been in absence from the front office to the farm system.

"It's a little different. We have a built out, mature team," Dipoto said. "And we have a number of star players around the field that I think the league, at large, just found out they're stars. We're gonna have to be a little bit choosier with how we implement our young players, but they're gonna play a big part in what we do now and moving forward."

It's a matter of when, not if, Emerson debuts in 2026. Other top 100 prospects like Lazaro Montes (No. 29 MLB Pipeline, No. 34 Baseball America) and infielder Michael Arroyo (No. 63 MLB Pipeline, No. 57 Baseball America) are also projected to make their major league debuts in '26.

The organization also has several top 100 pitching prospects, switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 90 MLB Pipeline, No. 89 Baseball America), right-hander Ryan Sloan (No. 44 MLB Pipeline, No. 64 Baseball America) and left-hander Kade Anderson (No. 23 MLB Pipeline, No. 29 Baseball America) who could also find themselves quickly rising through the Mariners' minor league system.

Cijntje, Arroyo and Montes ended the year with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers and Sloan ended his season with Everett. Anderson was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and could start his pro career as high as Double-A in 2026.

"It is a challenge to integrate young players," Hollander said. "I think there are teams that do it. We're gonna have to be one of those teams that do. It's a disservice to those players to never give them a chance. To break in, succeed, fail and then succeed again. So they are gonna be a big part of what we do going forward. And there's gonna be more of those (players)."

There will be many familiar faces from this year's near-pennant-winning club that return to the team next year. But the farm system, which has won or made five league championships in the last three seasons from Single-A through Triple-A, will undoubtedly make an impact next season.

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JOSH NAYLOR A PRIORITY IN THE OFFSEASON FOR MARINERS: Justin Hollander was optimistic about the potential of bringing back the the Mariners' key acquisition from this year's trade deadline. CLICK HERE

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