The Seattle Mariners could end up facing an old playoff foe or a team they’ve never matched up with in the postseason when the American League Division Series kicks off Saturday at T-Mobile Park.

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The M’s are set to face the winner of the wild card series between the AL Central-champion Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers, who finished one game apart in the standings. Each lost four of six games in the regular season against Seattle.

So, which team poses a bigger threat to the Mariners?

MLB Network insider Jon Morosi shared his insight on that question Monday during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

The two teams were trending in completely opposite directions at end of the regular season. The Guardians went an MLB-best 20-7 during the month of September while the Tigers had the league’s second-worst record at 7-17. It resulted in an improbable swing that saw Cleveland claw back from as many as 11 games down in September to win the division.

Despite all of that, Morosi still feels the Tigers, who won Game 1 of the wild card series 2-1 on Tuesday, are the tougher opponent.

“Right now, the Tigers are the better team on paper. They’re the more complete team,” Morosi said the day prior to Game 1. “The Guardians – their run is unbelievable. They are the deserving AL Central champions after a run for the ages.”

At the top of the list of Morosi’s reasons for picking the Tigers is star left-handed starter Tarik Skubal, who will likely win his second straight AL CY Young award this year. The Seattle U product led the AL with a 2.21 ERA and was second in MLB with 241 strikeouts over 195 1/3 innings pitched. Morosi also highlighted No. 2 starter Casey Mize, a first-time All-Star who went 14-6 with a 3.87 ERA.

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Additionally, Detroit has a clear advantage offensively. The Tigers ranked in the top half of MLB in most major offensive statistics this year, while the Guardians were in the bottom of three of several categories, including 28th in runs scored.

“I just think that the Tigers’ lineup one through nine is a little bit deeper,” Morosi said. “…. I love (Cleveland’s) Steven Kwan. I also think the best player, the best all-around player in this series between Detroit and Cleveland is (Guardians third baseman) . I just think that in a postseason situation, you do utilize more of the full one through nine.”

The Guardians have a clear advantage of their own when it comes to the bullpen, even without three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. Cleveland was third in baseball with a 3.44 bullpen ERA, while Detroit was 17th at 4.05. But Morosi believes the rest days during a series allowing the Tigers to heavily rely on their top relivers could be an equalizer

“For all their flaws, I think that with the additional days of rest, it gives (Tigers manager) A.J. Hinch some different options to potentially utilize the rest of his bullpen in different ways,” he said.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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