SEATTLE -- Patience is the word of the hour as the Mariners prepare for what could be a holiday hibernation. It’s perhaps not what fans want to hear, especially with the free agent frenzy recently, but Seattle’s front office recognizes its needs, and its transparency in outlining them typically leads to transactions. 
 
“We would like to add more offense if we could,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. “We’d like to create more advantage either by platoons or just depth as we get deeper into the offseason. And then if something else presents itself that makes our team better, we are open to that.”
 
Recognizing voids, it’s worth noting that the Mariners are positioned to build upon their 2022 American League Division Series appearance. And in the holiday spirit, here are four reasons why they should feel optimistic heading into the new year:

Julio is only going to get better
What stood out most in Julio Rodríguez’s AL Rookie of the Year Award-winning season was that he lived up to his billing as MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect and emerged as one of the game’s best players.

Health will be paramount to Rodríguez’s sustainability, especially given that he empties the tank every night. He missed 30 games last year, including two stints on the IL, but he still managed 28 homers and 5.3 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, numbers on pace for 34 and 6.5, respectively, over 162 games.

For a player who’s thrived in the face of every challenge, it’s hard to envision Rodríguez taking a step back in his age-22 season.

“Everyone says he's going to get older, he's going to slow down, the body gets thicker,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I know, for where he's at right now, it's big for him. He still wants to go out and steal 25, 30 bases, or maybe more with the rule changes. It may open up more things for him as well. Speed is a big part of where he's at and his focus this offseason.”

Raleigh, Kirby and Gilbert should improve too
Other fruits of Seattle’s farm system should advance as well, considering the production that the Mariners received from Cal Raleigh, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert in their first full seasons. The latter two showed front-line-rotation stuff at times, especially in the postseason. Raleigh emerged as MLB’s top home-run-hitting catcher, with 27, while playing through a torn UCL in his left thumb over the final month.
 
“Cal, with all the issues he had with his thumb, really gutted it out,” Servais said. “He can play not at 100 percent and still produce, and he learned a lot going through that.”
 
Monitoring Kirby and Gilbert after they navigated career-high innings totals of 130 and 185 2/3, respectively, will be worth watching. But if they’re healthy, the Mariners will have among the strongest rotations in the AL West.

Second base should be upgraded
Seattle received 0.4 WAR at the position last year, third worst in MLB, as Adam Frazier never found his footing. The Mariners are likely going to platoon Kolten Wong and Dylan Moore, but maybe that’s not the worst avenue given the massive asking prices on free agents Carlos Correa ($315 million), Xander Bogaerts ($280 million) and Trea Turner ($300 million).

The lefty-hitting Wong, who will earn $10 million next year, slashed .277/.357/.489 (.845 OPS) against righties, while the righty-hitting Moore slashed .247/.393/.402 (.796 OPS) against lefties. Seattle's second basemen combined to slash .218/.278/.316 (.594 OPS) last year.

“I know Adam Frazier certainly had some really big moments for us, but just the consistency isn't typically what Adam Frazier does,” Servais said. “So hopefully Kolten Wong brings some more consistency there.”

They have three high Draft picks
This won’t impact the 2023 roster, but it also can’t be overlooked. Seattle's resurgence has centered on cultivating homegrown talent, and the Mariners will have three of the top 30 picks next year.

No. 22 comes via their regular-season standing, No. 29 via Rodríguez winning AL ROY after being on the Opening Day roster (a clause of the new CBA) and No. 30 via Competitive Balance Round A, designated to teams that have either one of the 10 smallest markets or the 10 smallest revenue pools.

“We think that that combination of events is going to allow us to replenish [our farm system] a lot sooner than later,” president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “A year from now, we may have a different opinion of what our system looks like.”