After a few weeks of relative inactivity, the Seattle Mariners have again jumped back on to the hot stove and signed right handed slugger Rob Refsnyder to a one year, $6.25 Million dollar deal.
Refsnyder has crushed left handed pitching his entire career, but he’s been especially good in recent years as a member of
the Boston Red Sox. With an excellent slash line of .302/.399/.560 against southpaws last season, Refsnyder acts as one of the most elite weakside platoon hitters in the entire league. Though there’s inherently a limited ceiling on the value of the weak-sided half of any platoon arrangement, with how elite his production has been at the plate, he still managed to produce 1.2 WAR over 209 PA’s in 2025. It might not be lineup defining production, but as a supplementary piece to a lineup with a strong central core, it’s a nice piece to have.
Refsnyder has bounced around the field defensively throughout his career, but he was used exclusively as a corner outfielder or designated hitter last year in Boston. Interestingly enough, the Mariners announced him as a “1B/OF” in their official post about the acquisition, but Refsnyder hasn’t played first since 2020 and has just 2o big league innings at the position this century. Being able to serve as a fill-in across multiple positions is nice, but with a strong throwing arm (84th percentile arm strength last season) and a clear offensive hole at the position, right field feels like the natural fit for him on this roster.
As a one-year deal for a relatively limited dollar figure, Refsnyder helps balance the lefty-heavy lineup and can be a complementary offense-first piece for this team. Though the aging righty slugger demographic has certainly been played out by this organization (Donovan Solano, AJ Pollock, Mitch Garver all found limited success in Seattle), with a far more complete lineup in place, it feels as though the team is relying far less on the production from Refsnyder than they were on any one of those prior signings. If Refsnyder is able to provide even 90% of the production he’s had the prior two season, this is an enticing acquisition for a team that was one of the most complete by the end of the 2025 season.
Welcome to the PNW Rob!
