The Mariners mi sed qualifying for the postseason by just one game a heartbreaking outcome for a club that held a commanding 10-game lead in the American League West back in June. Seattles offense floundered all year on the heels of a 2023-24 offseason punctuated by payroll restrictions and a series of salary-driven trades to help balance the lineup while adhering to a budget that was tighter than most anticipated. have some relatively good news for frustrated Ms fans on that front, reporting that ownership expects payroll to increase in 2025. Thats a breath of fresh air after it became clear almost immediately last offseason that payroll had minimal room Don Mcmahon Jersey to grow. On the other hand, the Times duo adds that a major free agent splash is not expected, thus suggesting that any uptick in payroll could be fairly modest in nature. Seattles roster is overwhelmingly cost controlled, as the bulk of its core is either signed long-term or in the early stages of arbitration. As is the case with all teams fitting that description, there are some natural payroll increases that should be baked into the offseason. will see his salary jump from $10MM to $18MM under the terms of his long-term extension, for example. only cost the Mariners the prorated league minimum this year after being released by the Nationals, but hell earn $3.5MM next year on the he signed in August. , and will also see small salary increases on their guaranteed multi-year deals, all of which are slightly backloaded. Its not all increases, however. s deal is frontloaded, and hell actually see his salary drop from this years $20MM mark to the $15.5MM level on a player option hes sure to exercise. The bigger area for increase lies within the Mariners arbitration cla s. First-time candidates include and , both of whom should command significant raises and could go from costing the club a combined $1.5MM to somewhere in the combined $10MM range. ($8.1MM in 2024), ($4.05MM) and ($3.1MM) are in line for the most notable raises among the rest of the group, though relievers like ($1.2MM in 24), ($1.25MM), ($1.285MM), (pre-arb) and (pre-arb) could all get boosts as well. is all but a surefire non-tender candidate, and injured utilityman isnt nece sarily guaranteed to be tendered. A suming the Mariners decline s $12MM option after a disappointing 2024 season Divish and Jude unsurprisingly write that theyre likely to do so and tender contracts to Raleigh, Kirby, Gilbert, Rojas, Thornton, and Saucedo, theyll land somewhere in the $140MM payroll range before making a single move this offseason (including a slate of pre-arbitration players to round out the roster). This years payroll was finished just shy of $145MM, . An increased payroll, then, doesnt nece sarily signify the looming addition of any large salaries to be acquired via free agency or trade. That said, word of an increasing payroll also does lend some insight into the direction the team will take. For instance, weve already seen the Cardinals plainly state that . It became clear almost immediately in the Twins offseason last year that payroll would decline from 2023 to 2024. Were five years removed (to the day) from Rockies ownership kicking off the winter by saying they for additions of note. With Jerry Dipoto returning as president of baseball operations, theres always a never say never caveat attached to virtually any players trade candidacy, as hes among the games most active executives on that market. Still, theres no reason to anticipate sweeping changes among the teams excellent young core. Rather, the focus once again seems likely to be on reinventing an offense that has been continually stagnant despite repeated personnel changes. The Ms would no doubt welcome the opportunity to get out from some or all of their commitments to Haniger and Garver, but thatll be no small feat. Theyll again be looking to upgrade at third and/or second base after last years pickups of Polanco and Urias didnt yield the intended results. First base is an open question, though the hope is that young can solidify the position. The outfield/designated hitter mix Arozarena, Rodriguez, Robles and is largely set, and the Mariners dont figure to be major players in the starting pitching market. Gilbert and Kirby will be rejoined by , and , comprising a brilliant rotation. Other clubs will surely try to pry some of those young, cost-controlled arms away from the Mariners while dangling promising young hitters in return. However, Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander opted not to deal from that rotation stock last year and would surely be reluctant to do so this coming offseason, given the near-unmatched blend of excellent results and affordable price tags they have throughout the starting staff. Divish and Jude write that Dipoto spoke of ways to addre s our holes that maybe dont include [trading away] the players that are here a potential nod to dealing from a deep farm rather than subtracting from the big league roster. Prospects like Locklear, catcher/outfielder , right-hander , outfielders and , and infielders , and have all garnered fanfare among the games top-100 prospects since midseason. More broadly, the Mariners rank 11th or better on the midseason farm system rankings from (11th), (ninth) and (seventh). Dipoto and Hollander will have no shortage of coveted young talent to peddle on the market if the goal is to augment the lineup without heavily subtracting from the current big league roster. 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