As we get closer to opening day, we go back to the AL West to take a look at the Seattle Mariners. The M’s come off a disappointing 2023 where they narrowly missing out on the playoffs and have spent the winter “kind of” working towards a return to the postseason. General manager Jerry Dipoto opened the offseason by telling his players and fans his goal every year is to win 54% of the games, an odd goal to set when most teams aspire to be the best, but I digress. Seattle made a few moves to address issues on last year’s squad, as they strengthened a lineup in need of some depth. Veterans Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver and Luke Raley join for their first tour of duty while fan favorite Mitch Haniger returns after brief stay with the Giants. They also added talented righty Gregory Santos from the White Sox to an already solid bullpen. Is all this enough to get Jerry his coveted 54%? Let’s find out.

Keys to Success

1. New Bats Make the Difference: Last year’s Mariners squad had some solid bats in the lineup, but it felt like the starting nine lacked depth beyond Cal Raliegh and Julio Rodriguez. The aforementioned new faces of Polanco, Garver, and Raley have been brought in to lengthen the group and on paper it feels like it should work. Polanco and Garver in particular are solid veteran bats that will take bit of a load off the regulars.

2. Kirby and Miller Come Through: Last year the Mariners had a strong rotation led by ace Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert. Instead of adding some veterans to back them up this year, the Mariners kept the solutions in house with youngsters George Kirby and Bryce Miller earning rotation spots. These two are very talented prospects in Seattle’s system and if they deliver on their promise the Mariners will be very tough to score against all year long.

3. Munoz Slams the Door: A recurring theme in these breakdowns has been the strength of each club’s bullpen, and the Mariners are no different. They turned the closer’s role over to flame thrower Andres Munoz in the middle of last year and he performed well. He’ll need to do it again and with real consistency for this team to make a run to the playoffs.

The Lineup

1. J.P. Crawford SS

2. Julio Rodriguez CF (pictured first)

3. Jorge Polanco 2B

4. Mitch Garver DH

5. Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh C (pictured second)

6. Ty France 1B

7. Luke Raley LF

8. Mitch Haniger RF

9. Josh Rojas 3B

The Staff

1. Luis Castillo

2. Logan Gilbert

3. George Kirby

4. Bryce Miller

5. Bryan Woo

Closer: Andres Munoz

The Prediction

86 Wins (54% of the Games) and a Wild Card Spot

Good news Jerry, your math checks out! I have the Mariners claiming a wild card spot this year as they return to October baseball for the second time in three seasons. I just couldn’t resist the thought of them winning exactly 54% of the games but that should be just enough to make it in amongst the competitive AL.

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