Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez has arrived in Arizona for spring training and he's already found time to connect with a friend: Future basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Per Jake Garcia of 12SportsAZ: Annual Julio Rodríguez tradition.

With spring training set to start next week, here's an early look at the Mariners' roster and our projection on who will make the cut for opening day.

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.

The Seattle Mariners are set to return to baseball activities this week at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz.

Despite rampant trade speculation, the Mariners held onto their five prized starters throughout the winter, and Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo will form the backbone of this roster in 2025. And they’ll need to be elite again if the Mariners are to compete for the AL West crown.

On top of being in prime position to make the Nolan Arenado trade, the Mariners need his skills. They've lost three of their starting infielders from last year in free agency, including Josh Rojas who signed with the White Sox. Arenado is one of the best defensive first basemen of this generation and can fill a massive hole in the infield.

The Seattle Mariners bullpen was hit with injuries and inconsistency in 2024, leading to a lot of blown saves and leads. The bullpen was able to get better as t