During spring training in 2025, the Seattle Mariners had a uniform mindset: this was a team that could make and win the World Series.

The confidence wasn't unwelcomed by fans, but it came with the caveat the Mariners, while talented, had underachieved the two years prior. They failed to make the playoffs in 2023 and '24 and were eliminated in the final week of each season.

This year, Seattle is coming into spring training with a similar mindset but newfound resolve bolstered by on-field results.

Last season, Seattle won the American League West, earned a bye through the Wild Card round, won a five-game American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers to advance to the American League Championship Series. The M's' AL West title was the organization's first since 2001, as was the ALCS berth.

The Mariners were one game away from winning the first pennant in franchise history but ultimately fell short. They lost 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS on Oct. 20. The defeat came in heartbreaking fashion: former Houston Astros (the M's' arch rivals) outfielder/designated hitter George Springer connected on a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The disappointment after the loss was palpable in the clubhouse and has lingered since, even through the jovial setting of FanFest, which took place Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

As the old saying goes, winning fixes everything. And according to one Mariners broadcaster, winning is exactly what the team expects to happen in 2026.

M's broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. spoke with Roundtable Sports' own Brady Farkas in a recent episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast, sharing his biggest takeaway from talking with players leading up to spring training:

"It's been really interesting talking to the guys so far leading into spring training," Hill said on the podcast. "Whether it's Cal Raleigh or Gabe Speier, George Kirby, you go down the list — the resolve is there. The heartbreak has not gone away in that. Gabe Speier said it's never going to go away, a moment like that. But they are determined to take the next step. That's my biggest takeaway. And it's the belief that they will. They thought they were going to do it last year. The heartbreak was so real because they were so confident as a group that they were gonna make it happen, that they were gonna go all the way. And I get the same sense coming into this year, which is exactly what you want, I think, as a Mariners fan. You want the ultimate belief from Cal Raleigh and all the stars on the team. And it's really come through to me in conversations so far. They believe that it's gonna happen this year."

Seattle's confidence isn't based solely on the laurels of its franchise-best postseason run from last year.

The Mariners lineup boasts four 2025 All-Stars: Outfielders Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena, catcher and defending American League MVP finalist Cal Raleigh and third baseman/recent trade acquisition Brendan Donovan.

Seattle's pitching staff, which had five starters miss time last year due to various injuries, is just as stout. The rotation has four hurlers that made the All-Star Game in the last three seasons, including '25 All-Star Bryan Woo, and two-time All-Star closer Andres Munoz in the bullpen.

There aren't many teams that have that many solid-to-elite players across the board.

This year, with a deep playoff run under their belt, an almost-squeaky clean bill of health early in spring and renewed confidence, there's a very real chance the players' belief — that this year can be their's — could be proven correct.

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