It’s cold, damp, windy and rainy, which must mean it’s spring in western Washington. After another disappointing season in which Seattle missed the playoffs, the Mariners are looking to bounce back in 2025.
After a quiet offseason and limited participation in the free-agent market, can the Mariners sneak into the postseason this year? Just like last year, there’s reason for optimism with Seattle’s dominant rotation, but the team’s dismal offense will need to engineer a remarkable turnaround to make the M’s a contender.
Here’s what the national media is predicting for Dan Wilson’s squad in his first full season as Seattle’s manager.
ESPN’s panel picked the Texas Rangers (18 votes) to win the AL West in 2025, but seven voters picked the Mariners to win the division. Houston garnered just three votes. ESPN calls Texas the “overwhelming favorite” to win the division but mentions some reasons Seattle could contend. Here’s what Jorge Castillo writes:
How do the Mariners beat (Texas)? By not having one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Mariners, between their elite pitching staff and stout defense, are going to excel in run prevention again. Their starting rotation might be the best in baseball. The issue, for years, has been the offense. Last season, they ranked 21st in runs scored. Seattle famously didn’t acquire a high-impact bat during the offseason. So, how are they going to flip the script? There are two reasons for hope:
1. Julio Rodriguez is due for a hot start. The star center fielder owns a .642 OPS in April/March, a .768 OPS in May and a .704 OPS in June in his three-year career. The Mariners gave him more at-bats in spring training in hopes of an early improvement. Rodriguez has also spoken highly of hitting coach Edgar Martinez, who was brought on board at the end of August last season.
2. That leads us to the second reason for optimism: The Mariners’ offense was significantly better after Dan Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager and hired Martinez. Seattle averaged the third-most runs in baseball (5.8) and recorded the second-best OPS (.804) over the season’s final 34 games. Maybe it was coincidental. But there’s reason to believe a turnaround is possible. — Jorge Castillo
ESPN predicts the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles will be the American League’s wild card teams. Two panelists picked Seattle to win the American League and advance to the World Series, with one picking the Mariners to win it all.
Julio Rodriguez, who will likely need a major bounce-back this season for Seattle to have any realistic shot of contending for a playoff spot, received one vote to win the American League MVP. Three panelists voted for Seattle opening day starter Logan Gilbert to win the AL Cy Young.
The league’s official site, which for this exercise was comprised of 59 voters, took a stab at predicting the winner of each division. The panel voted for the Texas Rangers to win the AL West. Brian Murphy writes:
The Rangers have the talent to win their division, something they haven’t accomplished since 2016. The key is just staying healthy. Texas’ defense of its 2023 World Series title didn’t go as planned as the club was dogged by injuries up and down its roster. But its lineup remains star-laden, highlighted by team leaders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Young bats Wyatt Langford and Josh Jung haven’t realized their full potential yet, and offseason additions Joc Pederson and Jake Burger should make this offense even scarier for opposing pitchers when it’s at full strength.
But the X-factor for the Rangers may be getting a healthy season out of two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who hasn’t thrown 100 innings in a season since 2019.
The panel selected Baltimore, New York and Houston as the American League’s three Wild Card teams.
Of the 33-reporter panel, one reporter — Sam Blum, who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB as a whole — predicts the Mariners will win the World Series. Blum joined Seattle Sports’ “Wyman and Bob” radio show on Monday to share his reasoning.
“I think they have the best strength out of any team in the American League (with) that type of starting rotation,” Blum said. “(And) I don’t think their offense is maybe as bad as it performed last year.
“I just don’t think there’s any team that has a strength that lines up with the Mariners,” he added. “And when you get into the playoffs – assuming they make it – that strength will carry them.”
DraftKings has the Los Angeles Dodgers as the favorite to win the World Series at +275. They have Seattle with the 12th-best odds overall at +2800. They list Seattle (+250) behind Houston (+125) and Texas (+225) to win the AL West.
ESPN also has Seattle with the 12th best odds in the league to win the World Series at +2500. They list the LA Dodgers as the favorite at +275, followed by Atlanta (+800), the New York Yankees (+850) and the Philadelphia Phillies (+1000). ESPN also has Seattle with the third-best odds to win the AL West at +225, behind Houston (+140) and Texas (+200).
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