Seattle Mariners Division Rivals Get Favorable News on Injury Front
The Seattle Mariners are on the hunt for three starting infielders for 2025, according to comments from the team's President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and General Manager Justin Hollander.
The Mariners declined second baseman Jorge Polanco's club option during the first week of the offseason and non-tendered third baseman Josh Rojas on Friday.
But while Seattle is searching for starting players for 2025, its American League rivals, the Texas Rangers, are getting back to full strength.
Per a tweet from Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports, outfielder Adolis Garcia and shortstop Corey Seager are both nearing a return to baseball activities after a knee and hernia injury, respectively.
Reliever Josh Sborz recently underwent surgery on Nov. 13. But per Wilson's report, that surgery was also a "best case scenario."
All good on the #Rangers injury front, sans Josh Sborz. But even his procedure Nov. 13 was the best-case scenario, Chris Young said. Adolis Garcia (knee) is running, and Corey Seager (hernia) is nearing all baseball activities.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) November 26, 2024
The Rangers took a step back in 2024 after winning the first World Series in franchise history in 2023. A lot of that can be attributed to injuries. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Josh Jung, Cole Winn and Evan Carter are just a few key contributors, aside from Garcia and Seager, that were dealing with injuries in 2024.
The AL West is shaping up to be much more interesting in 2025 than it has in years past. The Rangers are getting healthy and the defending division champions, the Houston Astros, might lose one of their best players in free agency in Alex Bregman.
The Astros lost starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Los Angeles Angels, who've been one of the most proactive teams in the offseason so far. The Athletics are also expected to raise payroll significantly in 2025 in their first season residing in Sacramento as they wait for their stadium in Las Vegas to be built.
The Mariners haven't been shy about making moves late in the offseason in the past. But the moves made by their division rivals might motivate the team to start making moves sooner.
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