The Seattle Mariners are entering this season with more expectations than almost ever before in the 50-year history of the franchise.

For the first time since the organization was established in 1977, the Mariners made it to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series last season. Many of the position players who were instrumental in that run are locked to the team long-term.

Outfielder Julio Rodriguez, catcher Cal Raleigh and first baseman are all signed through the rest of the decade. Other projected 2026 starters, such as third baseman Brendan Donovan, are under team control for multiple years.

With the core of the team secured for the position players, there's a question as to what Seattle will do with the starting rotation.

The Mariners' starting pitching was considered the biggest strength of the team for several years. Four of the five pitchers on the rotation, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller, were drafted and developed by the organization. Three of those pitchers have made All-Star games.

The only hurler on the rotation Seattle extended was the one it didn't draft, Luis Castillo. The Mariners acquired him in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and signed him to a five-year, $108 million contract that extends through 2027 with a vesting option for 2028.

There's been questions for months now who is next in-line for a contract extension from Seattle, and an MLB insider recently offered his opinion that the M's will soon extend at least one or two of their homegrown hurlers.

"None of (the Mariners') young pitchers are signed," Mark Feinsand said on MLB Network on Monday. "We've been talking about this great, young Mariners pitching staff. It wouldn't be surprising to see them try to pick one or two of them and lock them up. Logan Gilbert's got two years left before he's a free agent."

The general consensus among analysts and reporters is that Gilbert will likely be the first of the rotation to get an extension. He and the Mariners have had at least preliminary discussions and he's under contract through 2027.

Seattle does have depth at pitcher in the minor leagues. Logan Evans, who's out for all of 2026 after elbow surgery, made 15 starts in 2025. The organization also has two top 100 starting pitching prospects in Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson.

The Mariners have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal when it comes to their starting pitching. But with those riches comes a lot of tough decisions that will have to be made in the somewhat-near future.

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