The Mariners have brought in shortstop J.T. Arruda, while John Russell will return for his fourth season as Tacoma Rainiers manager.
Tuesday proved to be a significant day for anyone connected to the Seattle Mariners, as the Baseball Writer’s Association of America announced their Baseball Hall of Fame class for 2026. And while Félix Hernández didn’t get the required 75 percent of votes, he did take encouraging steps towards eventually being enshrined in Cooperstown.
Hernández saw a historic jump to 46.1 percent of ballots, up from 20.6 percent in 2025 in his first year of eligibility and fans will be hopeful that he does eventually get his deserved (in our opinion) place in the Hall of Fame. Now lets review another couple of newsworthy notes from Tuesday involving the Mariners:
Mariners sign J.T. Arruda
Giving due credit to Brady Farkas of Mariners Roundtable, the M’s have agreed terms with infielder J.T. Arruda with spring training just around the corner. This understandably leads to the question of what his role will be within the organization?
Originally selected in the 11th round of the 2019 draft, Arruda has six years of minor league experience, but has yet to make his debut in the majors. In reality this is unlikely to change anytime soon, with him facing a fierce battle to even make the opening day roster in Triple-A Tacoma.
In fact the 28-year-old only made his Triple-A debut last year, while with the Nationals’ affiliate in Rochester. In 79 games with the Red Wings he batted .250, produced five home runs and 19 RBI, while also snagging 13 stolen bases.
Arruda does offer some encouragement in that he is a switch-hitter, although as alluded to with just 23 home runs in 517 games combined at all levels in the minors, he isn’t exactly renowned for being a power bat. Defensively he is capable of being a utility player, with the majority of his experience coming at second base and shortstop respectively.
M’s announce minor league coaching staffs
The Mariners also confirmed their coaching staffs for the Tacoma Rainiers, Arkansas Travelers, Everett AquaSox, Inland Empire 66ers, and rookie level affiliates. In a press release by the M’s, Director of Player Development Justin Toole said:
“We are excited and proud to announce our affiliate staffs for the upcoming season. From our ACL and DSL teams all the way up to Tacoma, we are confident that we have great fits to lead one of the best farm systems in baseball.”
This isn’t just bullish talk from the Mariners, with them having a reputation as one of the top farm systems in the majors ever since Jerry Dipoto joined the organization in late 2015. Other organizations also favor them, with a recent MLB Pipeline Executive poll of front offices around baseball ranking them as the second-best farm system behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This is further reinforced by the Mariners being currently tied with the Dodgers for the most prospects in the top 100, with seven each. And keep in mind it was eight top 100 players for the M’s prior to the recent trade of catcher Harry Ford to the Washington Nationals (along with pitching prospect Isaac Lyon), in exchange for reliever José A. Ferrer.
John Russell returns for the Rainiers
Last season, Triple-A Tacoma went 86-64 and won its league’s second half title. This will be John Russell’s fourth season in charge and it’s thoroughly deserved, with the Rainiers finishing above .500 in all three of his previous seasons, with an overall record of 245-205.
Russell has tremendous experience, having previously managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for three seasons between 2008 and 2010 followed by being the bench coach of the Baltimore Orioles from 2011 until 2018. He previously played 10 years as a catcher in the Majors, with the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers.
The rest of the Triple-A Tacoma staff includes Eric Farris as bench coach, Seth Mejias-Brean as hitting coach, Mike McCarthy as pitching coach, Corey Measner as strength and conditioning coach, Aric Quinney as athletic trainer and Amanda Lee as athletic trainer/assistant minor league athletic training coordinator. McCarthy is the only new addition to the Mariners organization, having previously served as a coach in the Athletics and Braves systems.
A new manager in Double-A Arkansas
Rich Thompson has joined the M’s organization as Travelers manager, after serving as athletic director and head baseball coach at National Park College in Arkansas. Interestingly, he previously pitched two seasons for the Arkansas Travelers in 2006 and 2007.
Thompson is originally from Australia and has the invaluable experience of pitching six seasons in the Majors with the Los Angeles Angels and then the Athletics, between 2007 and 2012. In that time he produced a 4.21 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 104.2 combined innings.
The Travelers staff also includes Jose Umbria as bench coach and Cameron Ming as pitching coach. Jordan Cowan has been promoted from High-A Everett to continue as hitting coach, Kyle Briggs will serve as strength and conditioning coach, while Dan Laberry will serve as athletic trainer.
The rest of the Mariners minor league coaching staffs
High-A Everett Aquasox
Ryan Scott (manager), Logan Moore (bench coach), Chase Miller (hitting coach), Bryan Pall (pitching coach), Max Miller (strength and conditioning coach) and Stephanie McLain (athletic trainer).
Arizona Complex League Mariners
Hecmart Nieves (manager), Chase Wullenweber (bench coach), Tanner Gordon (pitching coach), George M. Bell (hitting coach), Sergio Plasencia (return to play coach), Quinten Arellano (strength and conditioning coach), Cameron Werme and Randy Roetter (athletic trainers).
Dominican Summer League Mariners
Luis Matias (manager), Guady Jabalera (bench coach), Jose Amancio (pitching coach), Angus Stayte (hitting coach), Jesus Galindo (outfield/baserunning coach), Ramire Cleto (head strength and conditioning coach), Alfredo Alcantara (strength and conditioning coach), Ivan Mercedes (mental performance coach), Humberto Figueroa (athletic trainer), Ronaldo De La Cruz (D.R. Academy rehab therapist), Walkyria Torres (coordinator, D.R. Education), and Estefany Henriquez (coordinator, D.R. baseball operations).
A new team
Finally, the Mariners welcome a new Class-A, California League affiliate to the organization in the Inland Empire 66ers, who play their home games at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino, California. They previously served as a Los Angeles Angels’ affiliate for the last 15 seasons, between 2011 and 2025.
Prior to their time with the Angels organization, the Inland Empire were a Mariners affiliate for 14 seasons across two stints, between 1987 and 1994 and then from 2001 until 2006. Their coaching staff is made up as follows:
Luis Caballero (manager), Josh Morgan (bench coach), Sam Delaplane (pitching coach), Luke Carlson (strength and conditioning coach) and Bryanna Brown (athletic trainer).
Photos courtesy of Tim Rogers Photography & Mariners Media
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