While the Yankees will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first World Series title under Joe Torre and the Mets will commemorate the 40th anniversary of their most recent championship, the Mariners are entering their 50th season with some of the highest expectations in their unique history.
The Mariners remain the only team without a World Series appearance and were nine outs away from ending the drought last season. Then came Eduard Bazardo’s fateful pitch to George Springer, resulting in a devastating three-run homer and the tantalizing dreams of a World Series appearance were crushed.
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Perhaps the next biggest item on the minds of the fans is how Cal Raleigh will follow up hitting 60 homers, two shy of Aaron Judge’s 2022 AL-record. The homers did not net Raleigh the MVP simply because Judge dominated all of the hitting categories, but the switch-hitting catcher’s bat was a big driver in the best season since Seattle entered the league in 1977 along with the Blue Jays.
Raleigh is flanked in the lineup by Julio Rodriguez, who hit 32 homers and produced his second 30-30 season. Josh Naylor also is back after his midseason acquisition from the Diamondbacks and stellar performance in the ALCS.
Seattle produced 238 homers last season, the third-most behind the Yankees and Dodgers. The Mariners also hit .244 during the regular season, a figure which was 21 points behind the Blue Jays for the major league lead.
Led by the young trio of Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, the rotation might be as good as a fully healthy Yankee rotation if not better.
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Woo was a 15-game winner before struggling in the ALCS. Gilbert missed nearly two months with elbow pain but still struck out 173 in 131 hitters after fanning 220 the previous year, making him super attractive for fantasy owners.
No discussion about Seattle’s pitching is complete without admiring the stellar work of Andres Munoz closing games. Munoz saved 38 games thanks to an unhittable slider that produced 60 strikeouts and saw hitters bat .109 against – a 29-point drop from 2024.
Not much has changed with the roster and observers will find out in about six months if the Mariners can live up to some of the highest expectations in a team history. Mariner fans did not see the team finish with a winning record until 1989, make the playoffs until 1995 and go from 2003 through 2021 without a postseason appearance.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
(Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)Mariners additions for 2026
The Mariners lengthened their lineup shortly before spring training by acquiring Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals in a three-team trade.
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Donovan will get most of his time at third but is versatile enough to get time at second to spell Cole Young and may get an occasional game in the outfield. Speaking of versatility, the Mariners also added Rob Refsnyder after the former Yankee prospect established himself as a dependable utilityman in four seasons in Boston.
More From Larry FleisherMariners subtractions for 2026
The Mariners admitted they regretted trading Eugenio Suarez to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2023 season but lost him again as a free agent to the Reds.
While Suarez provided 13 homers and a memorable grand slam in Game 5 of the ALCS, he still hit .189 in his age-33 season. The Mariners also parted with catching prospect Harry Ford since Raleigh is blocking him, and it netted intriguing left-hander Jose Ferrer as another option, along with heavily used southpaw Gabe Speier.
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Best-Case Scenario for Fans
Expecting Raleigh to hit 60 homers again might be unrealistic, though he can certainly approach 50. The best-case is his power remains steady, his batting average creeps up a few points and he remains durable.
The rotation is already steady, but the Mariners might be even better if Luis Castillo remains reliable while possibly pitching with diminished strikeout stuff. Another area where the Mariners would see to some improved results is avoiding strikeouts. Randy Arozarena (191) and Cal Raleigh (188) were second and third in the AL respectively and both players hit under .250 despite terrific power.
Worst-Case Scenario for Fans
The worst-case is if any kind of injury hinders a rotation capable of throwing out a top starter on most days. Raleigh has shown a strong tolerance of playing through pain, which many catchers endure, but any kind of serious injury would be a massive problem.
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Munoz was tipping his pitches in a blown save against the Yankees in July, and any type of ineffectiveness and a suddenly hittable slider would also hurt.
Mariners Prediction
The rotation is stellar again; Raleigh approaches 50 homers and the Mariners win the AL West before losing a lengthy ALCS to the Yankees.
Related: Why Mariners Finally Got Brendan Donovan From Cardinals
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Mar 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.