The Seattle Mariners have exercised the 2026 club option on reliever Andrés Muñoz, securing him as their closer for $7 million. The team declined the mutual option on catcher Mitch Garver, making him a free agent after paying a $1 million buyout. They await a decision from infielder Jorge Polanco on his $6 million player option.
Seattle Mariners executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations Justin Hollander announced the decisions on player options for 2026. The club exercised the club option on right-handed pitcher Andrés Muñoz, ensuring his return next season. Muñoz, a two-time All-Star, will earn $7 million, a raise from his 2025 salary of $2,687,500. This includes an extra $1 million based on his 47 games finished in 2025, a career high alongside 38 saves.
Muñoz posted a strong 2025 season with a 1.73 ERA (219 ERA+), 83 strikeouts, and 28 walks over 62 1/3 innings. He appeared in the ninth inning or later in 62 of 64 outings, a shift to a defined closer role under manager Dan Wilson. This adjustment provided clarity after previous injuries to his lower back and ankle. Muñoz noted that the role helped, especially early in the season. His contract, signed after the 2021 season following Tommy John surgery, includes two more club options: $8 million for 2027 and $10 million for 2028, each potentially increasing by $1 million based on games finished.
The Mariners declined the $12 million mutual option on 34-year-old catcher Mitch Garver, who receives a $1 million buyout and joins free agents Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suárez, Caleb Ferguson, and Luke Jackson. All can sign with teams starting at 2 p.m. PT on Thursday, November 6. Polanco, the last 2025 roster player in limbo, has a $6 million vesting option; the team expects him to decline it for a multiyear deal elsewhere, though mutual interest exists for a reunion. Polanco, turning 33 on July 5, rebounded in 2025 with 26 home runs, an .821 OPS, and 138 games after knee surgery in October 2024 and a one-year, $7.75 million contract signed in January 2025.
With Muñoz retained, the Mariners' payroll is around $130 million, leaving $30-35 million for offseason spending, per president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. The 40-man roster stands at 34 players.