This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer¡¯s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- The major dominos to an expectedly quiet offseason for the Mariners have yet to fall, but what better time to aggressively address their needs than at the Winter Meetings (which begin on Monday in Dallas)?

All of Seattle¡¯s transactions so far have been subtractions -- the non-tendering of Josh Rojas, Sam Haggerty, Austin Voth and JT Chargois, and the declining of Jorge Polanco¡¯s $12 million club option -- other than its trade for Rays infielder Austin Shenton, who was a Mariners Draft pick in 2019.

That leaves president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander with essentially all of their heavy lifting in front of them, though Dipoto declared at season¡¯s end that the club doesn¡¯t anticipate a major shakeup from its 2024 group, and certainly not to the extent of its offseasons of each of the past three years.

¡°I would say not a ton,¡± Dipoto said at the time. ¡°We've always believed in the foundation of this team.¡±

Key Events

• Sunday: HOF Classic Baseball Era Committee results released
• Tuesday: MLB Draft Lottery
• Wednesday: Rule 5 Draft

Club needs
The Mariners are in the market for two bats to supplement the smorgasbord of infielders they already have and are looking most prominently at third base and a hybrid role at first base to supplement Luke Raley, who will also see outfield reps.

Though second base has been their least productive position since 2019, they¡¯re more comfortable there with in-house options Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss and Leo Rivas than at the aforementioned spots. Shenton will be in the mix, too, but more as a lefty-hitting depth piece who will most likely go back and forth to Triple-A Tacoma based on in-season needs.

The club has been engaged with free agents Carlos Santana and Justin Turner, who each filled an invaluable veteran presence when acquired by the Mariners in 2022 and ¡®24, respectively. But signing either could come down to cost within a payroll that likely has only $15-20 million of wiggle room this winter to address multiple needs. They¡¯ve also had exploratory trade conversations with the Phillies on third baseman Alec Bohm and Cubs on second baseman Nico Hoerner, per sources and as first reported by The Seattle Times.

Potential trade candidates
Things haven¡¯t changed since Dipoto and Hollander each called the notion of trading any of their five starters ¡°Plan Z,¡± leaving the club with its increasingly talented farm system the richest pool to deal from.

Catcher Harry Ford (Seattle¡¯s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline) is entering his fourth pro season and faces a logjam behind Cal Raleigh, making him the most logical piece to move. But pitchers Logan Evans (No. 10) and Brandyn Garcia (No. 16) could also draw big interest after taking significant steps forward last year. Overall, their farm system jumped from No. 18 to No. 9 in Pipeline¡¯s midseason re-ranks last year.

That said, finding a trade partner for prospects -- regardless of upside -- can be more challenging in the offseason than at the Trade Deadline because they¡¯ll have to align on each other¡¯s needs. For example, while the Red Sox, Orioles, Phillies and Cubs possess players that¡¯d be strong fits, each intends to contend in 2025 and are almost certainly seeking MLB talent in return.

Prospect to know: LHP Brandyn Garcia
Evans¡¯ ascent was among the most chronicled last year, but Garcia -- who was taken one round earlier in the 2023 Draft -- quietly was not far behind in his development. The 11th-round Texas A&M product climbed from High-A Everett to Double-A Arkansas in early July and finished the year between both affiliates with a 2.25 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 134 strikeouts and 47 walks in 116 innings last year. Garcia¡¯s rapid rise has him on Seattle¡¯s MLB radar for 2025 as a potential bullpen piece.

Rule 5 Draft
The Mariners didn¡¯t leave any notable players exposed this year, and they¡¯ve typically always been active in the Rule 5 Draft. The only conundrum this winter could be that they¡¯re operating with a full 40-man roster.

Burning question: Will they make their big move in Dallas?
Throughout their tenures in Seattle, Dipoto and Hollander had done most of their offseason transacting, or at least a chunk of it, before the Winter Meetings. But that hasn¡¯t been the case in 2024, based on what they believe are a limited number of needs, the avenues they intend to explore filling them and the payroll with which they¡¯re operating. But given that they¡¯ll finally be immersed with the rest of the baseball world, there¡¯s a strong chance they at least lay the groundwork for finalizing their '25 roster.