Christmas came a little early for Seattle Mariners fans who had been waiting not-so-patiently for a new bat following the departure of Jorge Polanco. On Monday, the club struck a one-year, $6.25 million deal with veteran outfielder Rob Refsnyder.

He’s at least half the big bat the Mariners need to account for Polanco’s absence, but there is the awkward question of how, exactly, he’s going to get regular at-bats in 2026. As of now, he looks like a platoon DH with Dominic Canzone, with time in the corner outfield spots walled off by Randy Arozarena in left and a Victor Robles/Luke Raley platoon in right.

Jon Morosi floats an unexpected Mariners trade after Rob Refsnyder signing

Then again, there is the possibility that another shoe will drop that would open up more playing time for the 34-year-old Refsnyder, who had a .924 OPS against lefties in four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. To this end, Jon Morosi of MLB Network floated an interesting possibility on Monday.

“The signing of Refsnyder, for me, is the type of move you would make if you were expecting to flip Robles for a left-handed bat somewhere,” Morosi said on Wyman and Bob of Seattle Sports. “That’s where my brain goes. Your outfield is a little bit right-handed and maybe we’re about to see a re-balancing of the lineup in some way.”

Trade Robles? Sure. Why not?

That would free up Refsnyder to be the right-handed component of platoons at DH and right field. It’s always good to have flexibility like that, especially given that right-on-left platoon hitters get limited opportunities by default. This year, 72.6 percent of all pitches were thrown by right-handers.

The catch is that Robles only has so much trade value. His 77-game stint with the Mariners in 2024 is a big success in a greater sea of mediocrity, accounting for 3.1 of just 4.4 total rWAR dating back to 2020. He might not have much surplus value on top of even his $5.125 million salary for 2026.

Still, it could be possible for the Mariners to throw Robles into a bigger trade as a money-saving tactic. It could be possible in a Ketel Marte trade, and it might even be realistic in a trade for Brendan Donovan. The St. Louis Cardinals would technically save money on Donovan’s $5.4 million projected salary, and they could perhaps be willing to do so it it also meant getting back Lazaro Montes or Jurrangelo Cijntje.

Granted, the Mariners would be selling low on Robles if they moved on from him like this. That could prove to be a case of judging him too harshly for not finding his hitting stroke (i.e., .611 OPS) after badly injuring his shoulder in April.

But with a World Series trip in their sights for 2026, the Mariners simply need to field the best team they can. If they can subtract Robles but still upgrade their offense via a better hitter and more at-bats for Refsnyder, they’ll need to do it.

With the Seattle Seahawks all alone in first place in the NFC West and atop the NFC standings, all eyes have understandably been fixed upon their Week 18 regular season finale against the San Francisco 49ers as the likely place where the division and No. 1 seed will be settled.

Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after Week 16

But there is a highly unlikely but still possible scenario that has gone under the radar where Seattle (12-3) could find itself on Monday already crowned the division champ and given a bye straight to the second round of the playoffs.

It’s a pretty simple one, though it has three components to it. Here’s what would need to happen for the Seahawks to clinch the NFC West and NFC’s No. 1 seed before Week 18:

• 1. The Seahawks win on the road in their 10 a.m. Sunday game against the Carolina Panthers.

• 2. The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears tie on Sunday night.

• 3. The Los Angeles Rams lose on Monday night in Atlanta against the Falcons.

To take a line from the great Lloyd Christmas on the holiday that he shares a name with, we’re telling you there’s a chance. Not a good one, at least when it comes to wrapping everything up this week, but still a chance.

The tough part of this scenario is that both No. 2 and No. 3 are longshots.

NFL standings

Ties are rare in the NFL, with only one having occurred in the last three seasons combined. The Bears and 49ers are evenly matched with identical 11-4 records, though, which plays into why the Seahawks would need the tie to clinch before Week 18.

As for the Rams losing to the Falcons, that seems maybe even more far fetched than a tie happening. The Rams are also 11-4 and will probably be looking to take out some aggression after losing 38-37 in overtime to the Seahawks last week in the biggest game of the season for both teams.

While the Falcons are coming off surprising back-to-back wins, that’s a surprise for a reason. Atlanta is 6-9 this year and is down several players on injured reserve, including starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

So yeah, don’t count on it happening. But if the Seahawks find the unexpected gift of clinching by Monday night, it probably starts building a case of them being a team of destiny this season.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Schlereth believes Seahawks have two strong candidates for big awards
• Panthers CB has choice words about his trade from Seahawks
• Seahawks star WR JSN says any limitation put on him ‘is not true’
• Lefko: A bold offseason has Seahawks on brink of history
• Six Seattle Seahawks secure Pro Bowl selections

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