Randy

Arozarena

Arozarena returned to Mariners camp earlier this week after a stint with the Mexico in the World Baseball Classic where his biggest highlight was a bizarre exchange with teammate Cal Raleigh. The 31-year-old remains one of the better power/speed combo threats in the fantasy world after eclipsing 20 homers and 20 steals in each of the past five seasons.

The pick is lined up to 68th or 69th overall. Donovan was connected to Seattle all winter, and the Mariners get him arguably without including any of their top five prospects. As things stand now, he’d seem to project as their third baseman and leadoff man. However, if top prospect Cole Emerson makes a run at the third base job in spring training, Donovan could play second or left. That versatility makes him an especially nice fit in a lineup with a few question marks. Donovan hit .287/.353/.422 and made the NL All-Star team last season. He’s never been a big fantasy infielder because of his lack of homers (career high of 14 in 2024) and steals (career high of five in 2023 and ’24), and moving to Seattle doesn’t figure to help him any. Randy Arozarena could also lose some fantasy value here; he ended last year in the leadoff spot but could drop as low as fifth in the lineup now. Cole Young’s status as the favorite to start at second base is also probably a little shakier, but he’s not a mixed-league guy anyway.

Arozarena’s deal was the most expensive of the early stages of the arbitration agreements. The 30-year-old was an All-Star in 2025, hitting .238/.334/.426 with 27 home runs and 31 steals in his second season in Seattle. He also set a career-high with 191 strikeouts in 160 games played. His batting average will likely never be strong, but he contributes enough in the other categories to be a solid fantasy asset.

That’s a huge get for Mexico. They did get a quality performance from Austin Barnes behind the plate last time around, but Barnes is pretty much out of the league at this point. Mexico has also confirmed that Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran will participate once again. Duran backed up Alek Thomas in 2023, but he’ll surely be a lineup fixture this time around. One big remaining question is whether Isaac Paredes will be allowed to participate while coming off his hamstring injury.

Arozarena went 9-for-20 with a homer and nine RBI in the 2023 WBC. Duran played behind Alek Thomas in center and finished 0-for-5. He’ll of course be a starter this time. In 2023, the other outfield spot went to Alex Verdugo, so a change is probably coming there. Perhaps young Rangers outfielder Alejandro Osuna could join the mix.

Naylor, who is batting .341 (15-for-44) with three homers this postseason, has been moved up in Seattle’s lineup with Jorge Polanco dropped to the cleanup spot as they attempt to make the World Series for the first time in the franchise’s 49-year history. The only other significant change involves Victor Robles in right field in place of Dominic Canzone. Here’s the full lineup: Julio Rodríguez (CF), Cal Raleigh (C), Naylor (1B), Polanco (DH), Randy Arozarena (LF), Eugenio Suárez (3B), J.P. Crawford (SS), Leo Rivas (2B) and Robles (RF).

Rivas started in Game 4 with Victor Robles shifting to the bench and that’s the same alignment that the M’s will use against Kevin Gausman on Friday evening. Here’s the full lineup: Julio Rodríguez (CF), Cal Raleigh (C), Jorge Polanco (DH), Josh Naylor (1B), Randy Arozarena (LF), Eugenio Suárez (3B), J.P. Crawford (SS), Dominic Canzone (RF) and Rivas (2B).

Rivas will get his first postseason start with a struggling Victor Robles heading to the bench as Seattle tries to mix some things up following a Game 3 rout at the hands of the Blue Jays. Here’s the full lineup: Randy Arozarena (LF), Cal Raleigh (C), Julio Rodríguez (CF), Jorge Polanco (DH), Josh Naylor (1B), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Dominic Canzone (RF), J.P. Crawford (SS) and Rivas (2B).

If it ain’t broke... The lineup: Arozarena (LF), Cal Raleigh (C), Julio Rodríguez (CF), Jorge Polanco (2B), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Josh Naylor (1B), Dominic Canzone (DH), Victor Robles (RF) and J.P. Crawford (SS).

Naylor has yet to depart for Arizona to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, which means he’s still in there for a critical Game 2 showdown against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The 28-year-old slugger figures to head out on paternity leave at some point during the best-of-five series. Here’s the full lineup: Randy Arozarena (LF), Cal Raleigh (C), Julio Rodríguez (CF), Jorge Polanco (2B), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Naylor (1B), Mitch Garver (DH), Victor Robles (RF) and SS J.P. Crawford.