I&#8217;m sure there was a team or two that were thrilled not to be facing the Seattle Mariners in a three-game Wild Card series, largely because their pitching staff consisted of multiple ace-level starters. That&#8217;ll just be a hypothetical, though, but the Mariners are hoping they don&#8217;t watch that happen again this season.
Let&#8217;s dive into Seattle&#8217;s Rival Preview.
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<h2>2024 Season Recap</h2>
Despite spending 107 calendar days in first place in the AL West, the Seattle Mariners couldn&#8217;t hold off the Houston Astros for the division crown and couldn&#8217;t stay in the Wild Card picture by season&#8217;s end. An 85-77 record made it four consecutive seasons that they have won at least 85 games, but they only have the 2022 playoff appearance to speak for it.
Not only did they lose their grip on the division crown, but Seattle also parted ways with Scott Servais as manager of the club. The organization made the change on August 22nd after a 1-8 road trip that brought them to .500 on the season and 5 games back of Houston for the AL West lead. Dan Wilson, a former Mariners catcher and a special assignment coordinator in Seattle&#8217;s organization, was announced as Servais&#8217;s replacement and would wind up earning the role for 2025 as well.
There were different places to point the finger, but the group that likely avoided that designation was the starting rotation. That group exemplified consistency and durability, and the team needed only seven different players to start a game for them this season.
Logan Gilbert had a career season for Seattle, posting a 3.23 ERA, 0.887 WHIP (an MLB-best), and 9.5 K/9 through a career-best 33 starts and 208 2/3 innings overall (also MLB-best). He had a noticeable jump in his <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/logan-gilbert-669302?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb">advanced analytics</a> too, particularly his whiff rate, chase rate, and even fastball velocity. For instance, his splitter&#8217;s whiff rate jumped from a 35% whiff rate in 2023 to a 50.6% whiff rate in 2024. These were all reasons why he earned his first career All-Star nod, as well as finishing sixth in American League Cy Young voting.
Seattle also saw a breakout from fellow starter Bryce Miller, who was only in his second big league season. Miller pitched to a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and an 8.5 K/9 across 31 starts and 180 1/3 innings, and he finished the season with a spectacular second half. His stuff won&#8217;t blow Baseball Savant analytics groups away, but he&#8217;s simply been effective at keeping his walks down and traffic off the base paths.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Bryce Miller blowing three straight fastballs by Ronald Acuña Jr. for his sixth strikeout of the night and second against the reigning NL MVP. <a href="https://t.co/S2lAIlYF3Q">pic.twitter.com/S2lAIlYF3Q</a>
&mdash; Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DKramer_/status/1785135613878157366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Aside from those two, Luis Castillo (3.64 ERA over 30 starts), George Kirby (3.53 ERA over 33 starts), and Bryan Woo (2.89 ERA over 22 starts) helped steer a special group of starters that contributed heavily to their success last year.
Offensively, however, is where things went awry. They finished 22nd in runs per game, 29th in batting average, and 22nd in OPS, with one of the culprits being a quieter season from their young star, CF Julio Rodríguez. Seen as a cornerstone of the franchise, Rodríguez still posted a decent .273/.325/.409 slash line, but he managed only 20 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 17 doubles across 143 games, numbers far lower than his 2023 totals.
The season Rodríguez had just magnified the importance of what C Cal Raleigh did last season, which was logging his third straight season of 27+ homers. He still hasn&#8217;t gotten to hitting for a high average as reflected in his .220/.312/.436 slash line, but he did mash 34 home runs and 100 RBIs, both career-bests. He received some MVP votes and also won his first career Gold Glove award.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Cal Raleigh has hit a home run from each side of the plate tonight. 😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/aJhsso0q7y">pic.twitter.com/aJhsso0q7y</a>
&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1810877485648679401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
UTIL Luke Raley chipped in 22 home runs, and after being released by the Nationals, OF Víctor Robles put together an impressive 77 games in Seattle with a .328 batting average and .860 OPS. After that, the lineup proved to be extremely thin. OF Mitch Haniger, DH Mitch Garver, 1B Ty France, SS J.P. Crawford, and even deadline acquisition OF Randy Arozarena struggled to contribute much at all, with France even being DFA&#8217;d last July.
<h2>Offseason Moves</h2>
So, you&#8217;d think that after the above display of offense, Seattle would invest in that area to some degree, right? Right? You be the judge.
The Mariners started with bringing back middle infielder Jorge Polanco on a one-year, $7.75 million contract. After acquiring him via trade last winter, Polanco was just one of the many offensive disappointments last season. He slashed just .213/.296/.355 with a .651 OPS, 16 home runs, and 45 RBIs. All three figures of his slash line were career-lows for seasons in which he played a minimum of 10 games, and he also posted the third-lowest OPS+ (93) of his career.
Polanco also missed nearly a month last year with a hamstring strain, but the 118 games he played was the most for him in a single season since 2021. At just 31 years old, the Mariners are hoping to have Polanco find anything better than what he gave them last season. If they can, $7.75 million would be a bargain.
The Mariners also inked veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. While signing Solano didn&#8217;t warrant front-page headlines, it&#8217;s hard to scoff at the numbers he has posted since 2019. In 96 games with the Padres last year, Solano hit .286/.343/.417 with 8 homers, 35 RBIs, and 13 doubles. Over the previous six seasons, Solano has hit .294/.353/.413, including winning a Silver Slugger award in 2020. If he&#8217;s able to maintain those numbers, I wouldn&#8217;t be shocked to see him move into an everyday role.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
⚾ Donovan Solano makes his mark with a homer for the Seattle Mariners! ⚾ 
First shot of the pre-season and it’s a beauty! Solano showing why he’s a player to watch—Mariners fans, get ready for an exciting season! 
 Check out the swing: ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/5Q5yep0qyk">pic.twitter.com/5Q5yep0qyk</a>
&mdash; MiloX Sports MLB (@MiloXSportsMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiloXSportsMLB/status/1903571810211266988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At least for now, Solano is probably a bench bat, and joining him is SS Miles Mastrobuoni, who they acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash. Mastrobuoni played in 50 games with the Cubs last season, hitting just .194/.245/.224 with three doubles and four RBIs. He&#8217;s had a very good spring with the club, and especially after the recent release of OF Mitch Haniger, Mastrobuoni is slated for a roster spot.
Seattle also inked 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez to a minor league deal, and he too also seems destined for a spot on the major league roster after logging five extra-base hits this spring. The Mariners also made <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1903860598879944735">headlines</a> yesterday when they released Mitch Haniger, with the outfielder due $15.5 million this season.
<h2>My take on Seattle&#8217;s 2025 outlook</h2>
It&#8217;s been over a year and a half or thereabouts that GM Jerry Dipoto made his infamous comments echoing that &#8220;teams that win 54% of the time always wind up in the postseason&#8221;. And, to be honest, the type of offseason they had would exemplify those comments.
It reminded me a lot of last year&#8217;s offseason for the Blue Jays. You&#8217;re coming off of a year in which your pitching was phenomenal, but the offense underperformed. During the following offseason, though, not much was done to address it. See where I&#8217;m coming from?
To go further on that sentiment, while the Mariners didn&#8217;t do much of any tinkering to the offense, they also didn&#8217;t do much to their bullpen and rotation when it comes to depth or insurance. You can clamour all you want about trading from their rotation to add a bat or two, but with Kirby already set to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury, 25-year-old Emerson Hancock really means a lot to this team now. Behind him, where do they go? Our old buddy, Casey Lawrence?
Seattle&#8217;s got enough to rattle off another 85 wins or so, but they&#8217;re going to need some improvement from the bats they have in-house. It starts with Rodríguez, Polanco, and Arozarena. If those guys can give Seattle a reasonable improvement, now we&#8217;re talking.
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I'm sure there was a team or two that were thrilled not to be facing the Seattle Mariners in a three-game Wild Card series, largely because their pitching staff consisted of multiple ace-level starters. That'll just be a hypothetical, though, but the Mariners are hoping they don't watch that happen again this season.

Let's dive into Seattle's Rival Preview.
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<h2>2024 Season Recap</h2>
Despite spending 107 calendar days in first place in the AL West, the Seattle Mariners couldn't hold off the Houston Astros for the division crown and couldn't stay in the Wild Card picture by season's end. An 85-77 record made it four consecutive seasons that they have won at least 85 games, but they only have the 2022 playoff appearance to speak for it.

Not only did they lose their grip on the division crown, but Seattle also parted ways with Scott Servais as manager of the club. The organization made the change on August 22nd after a 1-8 road trip that brought them to .500 on the season and 5 games back of Houston for the AL West lead. Dan Wilson, a former Mariners catcher and a special assignment coordinator in Seattle's organization, was announced as Servais's replacement and would wind up earning the role for 2025 as well.

There were different places to point the finger, but the group that likely avoided that designation was the starting rotation. That group exemplified consistency and durability, and the team needed only seven different players to start a game for them this season.

Logan Gilbert had a career season for Seattle, posting a 3.23 ERA, 0.887 WHIP (an MLB-best), and 9.5 K/9 through a career-best 33 starts and 208 2/3 innings overall (also MLB-best). He had a noticeable jump in his <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/logan-gilbert-669302?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb">advanced analytics</a> too, particularly his whiff rate, chase rate, and even fastball velocity. For instance, his splitter's whiff rate jumped from a 35% whiff rate in 2023 to a 50.6% whiff rate in 2024. These were all reasons why he earned his first career All-Star nod, as well as finishing sixth in American League Cy Young voting.

Seattle also saw a breakout from fellow starter Bryce Miller, who was only in his second big league season. Miller pitched to a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and an 8.5 K/9 across 31 starts and 180 1/3 innings, and he finished the season with a spectacular second half. His stuff won't blow Baseball Savant analytics groups away, but he's simply been effective at keeping his walks down and traffic off the base paths.

https://twitter.com/DKramer_/status/1785135613878157366

Aside from those two, Luis Castillo (3.64 ERA over 30 starts), George Kirby (3.53 ERA over 33 starts), and Bryan Woo (2.89 ERA over 22 starts) helped steer a special group of starters that contributed heavily to their success last year.

Offensively, however, is where things went awry. They finished 22nd in runs per game, 29th in batting average, and 22nd in OPS, with one of the culprits being a quieter season from their young star, CF Julio Rodríguez. Seen as a cornerstone of the franchise, Rodríguez still posted a decent .273/.325/.409 slash line, but he managed only 20 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 17 doubles across 143 games, numbers far lower than his 2023 totals.

The season Rodríguez had just magnified the importance of what C Cal Raleigh did last season, which was logging his third straight season of 27+ homers. He still hasn't gotten to hitting for a high average as reflected in his .220/.312/.436 slash line, but he did mash 34 home runs and 100 RBIs, both career-bests. He received some MVP votes and also won his first career Gold Glove award.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1810877485648679401

UTIL Luke Raley chipped in 22 home runs, and after being released by the Nationals, OF Víctor Robles put together an impressive 77 games in Seattle with a .328 batting average and .860 OPS. After that, the lineup proved to be extremely thin. OF Mitch Haniger, DH Mitch Garver, 1B Ty France, SS J.P. Crawford, and even deadline acquisition OF Randy Arozarena struggled to contribute much at all, with France even being DFA'd last July.
<h2>Offseason Moves</h2>
So, you'd think that after the above display of offense, Seattle would invest in that area to some degree, right? Right? You be the judge.

The Mariners started with bringing back middle infielder Jorge Polanco on a one-year, $7.75 million contract. After acquiring him via trade last winter, Polanco was just one of the many offensive disappointments last season. He slashed just .213/.296/.355 with a .651 OPS, 16 home runs, and 45 RBIs. All three figures of his slash line were career-lows for seasons in which he played a minimum of 10 games, and he also posted the third-lowest OPS+ (93) of his career.

Polanco also missed nearly a month last year with a hamstring strain, but the 118 games he played was the most for him in a single season since 2021. At just 31 years old, the Mariners are hoping to have Polanco find anything better than what he gave them last season. If they can, $7.75 million would be a bargain.

The Mariners also inked veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. While signing Solano didn't warrant front-page headlines, it's hard to scoff at the numbers he has posted since 2019. In 96 games with the Padres last year, Solano hit .286/.343/.417 with 8 homers, 35 RBIs, and 13 doubles. Over the previous six seasons, Solano has hit .294/.353/.413, including winning a Silver Slugger award in 2020. If he's able to maintain those numbers, I wouldn't be shocked to see him move into an everyday role.

https://twitter.com/MiloXSportsMLB/status/1903571810211266988

At least for now, Solano is probably a bench bat, and joining him is SS Miles Mastrobuoni, who they acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash. Mastrobuoni played in 50 games with the Cubs last season, hitting just .194/.245/.224 with three doubles and four RBIs. He's had a very good spring with the club, and especially after the recent release of OF Mitch Haniger, Mastrobuoni is slated for a roster spot.

Seattle also inked 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez to a minor league deal, and he too also seems destined for a spot on the major league roster after logging five extra-base hits this spring. The Mariners also made <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1903860598879944735">headlines</a> yesterday when they released Mitch Haniger, with the outfielder due $15.5 million this season.
<h2>My take on Seattle's 2025 outlook</h2>
It's been over a year and a half or thereabouts that GM Jerry Dipoto made his infamous comments echoing that "teams that win 54% of the time always wind up in the postseason". And, to be honest, the type of offseason they had would exemplify those comments.

It reminded me a lot of last year's offseason for the Blue Jays. You're coming off of a year in which your pitching was phenomenal, but the offense underperformed. During the following offseason, though, not much was done to address it. See where I'm coming from?

To go further on that sentiment, while the Mariners didn't do much of any tinkering to the offense, they also didn't do much to their bullpen and rotation when it comes to depth or insurance. You can clamour all you want about trading from their rotation to add a bat or two, but with Kirby already set to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury, 25-year-old Emerson Hancock really means a lot to this team now. Behind him, where do they go? Our old buddy, Casey Lawrence?

Seattle's got enough to rattle off another 85 wins or so, but they're going to need some improvement from the bats they have in-house. It starts with Rodríguez, Polanco, and Arozarena. If those guys can give Seattle a reasonable improvement, now we're talking.

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Rival Preview: With an All-Star level pitching staff, the Seattle Mariners have to make tremendous strides offensively to be a serious World Series contender

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement (28) gets congratulated after scoring against the New York Mets during the second inning at Rogers Centre.

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