The Mariners are coming off their first American League West championship since 2001, so what do they do for an encore?
The Seattle Mariners went 90-72 in 2025, winning the American League West for the first time since 2001 and advancing to the American League Championship Series for the first time since that same year.
And after trading for Jose Ferrer and Brendan Donovan, and signing Josh Naylor this offseason, the expectations are certainly high for the 2026 version of Dan Wilson's team.
That said, with 10 days to go until the start of the new season, there are some questions to ask.
Let's dive in to these five pressing matters:
1) Just how strong is the team chemistry?
If you asked this question two weeks ago, everyone would have said immensely strong. But after the World Baseball Classic handshake controversy, how do things look in the clubhouse? Will Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena get along directly or will they separate themselves? And will their be clubhouse cliques that form as a result? That's the worst case scenario and the M's will certainly do their best to avoid that.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) reacts with teammate Randy Arozarena (56) during the 2025 Home Run Derby at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images2) How about the fifth starter spot?
The Mariners will almost assuredly enter the season with Bryce Miller on the injured list, beset by an oblique issue. The Mariners could use Emerson Hancock in the fifth starter spot while keeping Cooper Criswell as the long reliever in the bullpen, but with Criswell's lack of options that will create inflexibility in the 'pen, which is already full of pitchers that can't or won't be optioned to Triple-A.
Could Criswell join the rotation and Hancock (who has an option) be in the bullpen? Could Hancock stay stretched out in Triple-A while bringing up someone like Cole Wilcox to the bullpen?
It's something we spoke about last week with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
3) Who improves and who regresses offensively?
Players' careers often fluctuate and what happened one year is not necessarily repeatable the next. Will Cal Raleigh really hit 60 home runs again? Could Luke Raley, who hit only four last season, get back into the 20s like he was in 2024? Will Randy Arozarena, now past 30 years old, steal 31 bases again? Will he hit 27 home runs?
How much better might Cole Young be in his first full season?
Each year is a balancing act of regression to the mean, and we'll see which Mariners go up and down from their 2025 numbers. On the pitching side: Will Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier be as dominant as they were a year ago? Will someone new emerge in that group, like we saw with Bazardo, Drew Steckenrider, Casey Sadler, Justin Topa and Paul Sewald previously?
4) How about the mindset?
We've talked a lot about this on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast: The Mariners have nearly been to the top of the mountain, just one win away from the World Series. Are they able to focus on the daily grind once again, or are they just going to be looking ahead to the end of the season? Will they miss steps along the way?
Manager Dan Wilson told us this on Feb. 19, the day before the start of Cactus League play:
"Yeah. I mean, that's a huge thing," said manager Dan Wilson at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday. "And I think that goes back to what we've been talking about. You've got to stay present. You've got to stay here and in the moment. And, you know, goals are great, but if you just focus on the goal and you forget about the steps it takes to get to that goal, that's not good. And so I think our first step in getting to where we want to go is spring training. And using this time as a time of preparation. And that's where we're headed. And it kind of starts tomorrow as we start the games."
5) How do the prospects fit in?
Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan could be options for this team this season. Are they starters? Relievers? Are they called up earlier in the season or held off for the end? Do they impact the playoff race and October baseball?
And how about Colt Emerson and Michael Arroyo, who are battling for spots over the course of the next seven months? The M's have established veterans at nearly every key spot, but if someone gets injured or struggles? All bets are off.
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