The Seattle Mariners are just six weeks away from taking the field again at spring training in Peoria, Ariz. And in the spirit of New Years resolutions, I have a few things I want to see from the M's in the next calendar year.

And yes, we all want the Mariners to stay healthy and win the World Series, but I'm thinking differently than just end goals. I'm thinking in terms of 'how do the M's get there?'

So, without further adieu, here are three things I want from the Mariners in the new year.

This is not a spot for bashing the Mariners' skipper. I spent all of 2025 defending him from critics, and I appreciated that he took the Mariners to a spot they've never been before: One game from the World Series. I'm sure I will continue to defend him in 2026, but that doesn't mean I don't want him to grow.

We ask players, even MVP players, to grow in the offseason, so we can ask the manager as well. I want him to understand what worked and what didn't with regards to his gameplans, his lineup decisions, his bullpen management, all of it. If he learns in the way that players grow, he'll be even better as the M's chase the Fall Classic.

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As it stands right now, the Mariners are placing a lot of faith in a trio of young players: Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson. Until the M's trade for Brendan Donovan or sign Eugenio Suarez, all three figure to play a big role on the 2026 club. All three represent uncertainties. In order for the M's to get where they want to go, they'll need at least one of them to step up and become the player the organization thinks they can be.

Young is the easiest bet, considering he has the most big-league experience mixed with the best prospect pedigree. He showed moments in 2025, and the M's need more in 2026.

If Williamson plays regularly, and with Josh Naylor here for a full season, the corners figure to be solid in 2026, but up the middle? That's a question mark.

J.P. Crawford has clearly regressed since his Gold Glove winning 2020, and Young didn't really impress in his first season at second base. Given how many ground balls the M's pitching staff, especially in the wake of acquiring Jose Ferrer, is slated to get, they'll need to turn those ground balls into outs.

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