2026 Profile: Seattle Mariners

Raleigh alone was worth the price of admission to T-Mobile Park, the team’s home stadium. The 29-year-old catcher wasn’t the only important cog in the Washington State team’s success, as they won the West Division by three games over their closest rivals, the Houston Astros.

The team’s hitters, despite injuries, were all excellent, with players such as Randy Arozarena, J.P. Crawford, and Julio Rodriguez making their mark offensively. The addition of Canadian Josh Naylor at the end of the season also paid dividends, allowing the Mariners to give the Toronto Blue Jays a scare.

Additions and departures

The Mariners’ biggest acquisition was Brandon Donovan from St. Louis. The third baseman was a highly sought-after athlete given the winds of change currently blowing in Missouri. Several teams showed interest in Donovan, but in the end, it was the Mariners who made the best offer to secure his services. The trade involved three clubs, including the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners traded prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete to improve their short-term lineup. Josh Naylor’s five-year contract was also a highlight of the team’s offseason. The first baseman will continue the work he started in 2025 at a cost of $92.5 million.

The team also traded with the Washington Nationals to acquire left-handed relief pitcher Jose Ferrer. To do so, Harry Ford, a highly touted catcher within the organization, made his way to the District of Columbia.

In order to be more competitive in 2026, the Mariners took drastic measures by sacrificing a little (a lot) of their future.

Veteran third baseman Eugenio Suarez returned to Cincinnati as a free agent.

Strengths and weaknesses

The team’s greatest strength can be summed up in one phrase: the name of the game is pitching.

The Mariners have one of the best starting rotations in the league. Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller are among the cream of the crop. Manager Dan Wilson can count on a group of seasoned pitchers and gunslingers who are masters at making opposing hitters look bad.

In relief, Wilson can rely on Andres Munoz in a closer role and a well-built bullpen thanks to Matt Brash, Gabe Speier, Jose Ferrer, Carlos Vargas, and Eduard Bazardo.

In my opinion, the only weakness or question mark is the fact that the Mariners are relying on Dominic Canzone as their designated hitter. Canzone had a good 2025 season, but there is no indication that he can keep up the pace and repeat his performance in 2026. Even though he hit .300 last season, his power doesn’t compare to other players in the same role. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong and hit more than 11 home runs next season? In his defense, he only played in 82 games in 2025.

Also, the Mariners’ utility players, the ones you use when it’s convenient to do so, are not as good as those of the Jays, for example.

Expectations for the 2026 season

Expectations for the season, which begins in a few weeks, are very high in Seattle.

With a starting rotation of the caliber of the Mariners’, combined with a more balanced offense, there is no reason to see this team as anything less than another American League Championship Series contender.

Well managed by a slightly more experienced Dan Wilson, the Mariners could very well find themselves in the World Series for the first time in their history, and who knows what might happen once they get there?

The team is better at handling the unexpected and will be better able to navigate headwinds. You don’t need a crystal ball to see this team in the American League final again, because the Mariners’ management has made the necessary efforts to improve their lineup by sacrificing their future to get there.

When a window of opportunity opens, you have to make sure you keep it open for a few seasons. The Mariners are now exactly where they wanted to be.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.