Mariners to compete in 2025 World Series

 

Many younger Seattle Mariner fans don’t remember the legendary TV spy of the 1960’s, Maxwell Smart, who had a boatload of catch phrases including, ``missed it by that much.’’

That phrase comes to mind when thinking about the 2025 Seattle Mariners. Jim Bowden of The Atlantic and the mlb.network ranked the M’s as the seventh-best team in the American League. Unfortunately, only six teams make the playoffs.

It’s always fun to read some of the pre-season baseball predictions in various media outlets, mainly because they’re so wrong at the end of the season.

Sports Illustrated picks the Mariners second in the AL West, but since they pick three teams from the AL East and two from the AL Central to make the playoffs, they have Seattle going home in October. Athlon Sports picks the M’s third; not in the playoffs.

Fortunately, for the self-esteem of local fans, Lindy’s Baseball Preview picks Seattle to win the division (and they claim to be the baseball preview for smart fans). But they have the New York Yankees in the World Series

One thing the so-called `experts’ agree on is that the Mariners have the best starting rotation in the American League, if not baseball. Some even say that top to bottom the M’s have the best AL pitching staff – it’s tough to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ arms when you talk about all of baseball.

Seattle’s starting rotation of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo led major league baseball in eleven different categories and it should be noted that Emerson Hancock, their number-six starter was a more highly regarded prospect than some of the pitchers ahead of him.

However, the Mariners’ anemic offense kept them out of the post-season even after they took an early ten game lead over Houston in the division. Ironically, baseball history is cluttered with teams who’ve made the post-season with sterling pitching and mediocre offenses.

The greatest example would be the Dodgers of the 1960’s. With some of the worst hitting in the NL (these were the days of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays) they still made three World Series in four years with two pitchers- Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale- winning 40 to 45 games a year.

Another complaint about the Mariners is that they didn’t make any movies in the off-season. To be fair, two of their starting outfielders, Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles, were acquired at last year’s trade deadline. Some of the most impactful trades are made in mid-season, another reason that pre-season predictions aren’t meaningful.

In their opening game of the season, the Mariners started free-agent signee Rowdy Tellez, a hulking first baseman, and fleeted footed rookie Ryan Bliss at second base.

Then there was Jorge Polanco, who Seattle thought was leaving but decided to stay. Polanco and Gilbert were the stars of the M’s 4-2 opening night victory over the Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland-Sacramento-Las Vegas Athletics.

Polanco two-run homer in the eight proved to be the game winner as Arozarena launched a single blast to tie the game 2-2, earlier in the inning. Polanco had three hits in the game but also laid down a baffling sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning when there was already one out.

The win was bittersweet for Gilbert, clearly the ace of a talented pitching staff.  Gilbert allowed one run and two hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and no walks. But he didn’t get the win. Reliever Trent Thornton `vultured’ himself into a victory when he surrendered Tyler Soderstrom’s second home run of the night to give the A’s a brief 2-1 lead.

Honorable mention goes to right-hander Andres Munoz, who picked up his first save of the year helped up by a nifty double play started by shortstop J.P. Crawford. Munoz, a 2024 All-Star had 22 saves a year ago.

For the record, Seattle SPORTs Now predicts the Mariners will make their first World Series this year. However, they’ll lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks and their two aces, Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen, in the Fall Classic. You read it here first.

Actually, the Dodgers and the New York Yankees will probably be in the WS. But that’s no fun.