The Mariners postseason begins just a little bit sooner than fans were hoping.

It also begins much later than so many thought it would back in spring.

Indeed, the 2025 club did so many things that will go down in history. From winning the AL West for the first time in 24 years, to the numerous home run records set by Cal Raleigh, it was a season for the ages.

And the Mariners came the closest they ever had to the World Series. Eight excruciating outs away from making it.

It’s human nature when the team comes that close to something historic, the question becomes, can they do it again? The answer is, of course, but first things first comes the offseason with several questions looming.

How can the Mariners make it back to the ALCS and beyond in 2026?

The answer to this comes with the most obvious caveat that baseball, maybe more than any other sport, defies logic in this way. In other words, the Mariners can do all the right things this offseason, have an even better regular season next year, and still miss taking the next step. Or the inverse of that can occur.

I found it interesting when Dan Wilson was asked about this, just moments after a gut-wrenching Game 7 loss to the Blue Jays. Remember, Wilson was on the 2000 Mariners team that made the ALCS, falling to the Yankees in six games before roaring back with 116 wins in 2001, and another bid to the ALCS (and another loss to the Yankees). Wilson was asked about the idea that the 2001 team duplicated the feat and how perhaps falling short served as motivation for the next year.

“I think all of us now have had a taste of how close we can get and how good this team can be. So. I think once you get that, that’s what you’re shooting for again the next year, and I know that will continue to be the goal. That was the goal this year. It will continue to be the goal, is to get to that final step, and, you know, this year we were one game short,” Wilson said.

So that’s the mission going into the new season, but who will be able to run it back with this team?

The (hopeful) re-signing of Josh Naylor

There’s winning the trade deadline, and there’s trading for Josh Naylor.

Naylor instantly became the most consistent bat in the Mariners lineup, with timely hits and reliably generating traffic on the base paths.

But his fit in Seattle is so much more than that.

He was immediately loved by Mariners fans, which went well beyond the production on the field, but the way he carries himself at all times. And it’s not just Mariners fans, it’s the team itself, too. They rave about Naylor as a person and a leader. The fact that he arrived in late July, and became the guy to meet Cal Raleigh on the pitcher’s mound for conferences, and give the inspirational messages, speaks volumes about his character.

Naylor has said he loves Seattle and its fans. He even talked about enjoying hitting at T-Mobile Park, which usually isn’t the most friendly to hitters. He is, of course, a free agent as soon as the World Series ends. It would be the safest of assumptions that re-signing Josh will be the Mariners’ top priority this winter and they have a reasonably good chance of making it happen.

His return, (along with the players we know will be back based on their contract status), would be the single most important part of continuing things forward for the M’s.

Tough decisions abound

While re-signing Naylor is the most obvious thing that we know the Mariners would love to get done, there are other roster choices that are less definitive.

Sure, the Mariners would love to just wave the magic wand and have guys like Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez return, but there are other things to consider.

For starters, both had very good seasons. Forty-nine home runs for Suarez, and Polanco’s big bounce-back year mean they will earn similar or more money than they did in 2025. Their postseason moments and clubhouse presence make this even more intriguing. For Eugenio, especially, the “vibes” he brought to the team are so important and would never show up in a box score. His may be the most interesting to watch because of what he means to fans and his outstanding overall production in 2025 (even if it dipped after arriving in Seattle), to balance with the rising prospects like Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson, and how they can contribute in 2026.

The Mariners enter 2026 as they entered 2025 with wonder about what they’ll do in the corner infield spots and what they’ll do about adding another left-handed reliever. The question surrounding Suarez and Polanco is certainly the biggest behind that of Naylor but one that has the most intrigue around it.

The offseason is here, sooner than M’s fans would have liked, but the work begins now to make sure that soon, the Mariners are finally the last team left standing.