when Cal Raleigh smashed a walk-off homer at T-Mobile Park to send the Seattle Mariners back to the postseason for the first time since 2001, it seemed like better days and seasons were ahead for the franchise. The roster was young, the farm system was loaded and baseball in the Pacific Northwest was rejuvenated. Instead, the Mariners missed qualifying for the postseason by the slimmest of margins the following two seasons.
Can they find their way back in 2025? They will have to do it with roughly the same roster and will need bounce-back or breakout seasons from several position players and minimal regression from the starting rotation. Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during a spring training game in Peoria, Arizona, on March 3. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J.
Rebilas-Imagn Images Rotation Seattle’s starting pitchers combined to lead MLB in ERA (3.38), innings pitched (942.2), quality starts (92), opponent batting average (.211), WHIP (1.03), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.88), fewest walks-per-9 innings (1.77), fewest hits-per-9 innings (7.53), opponent on-base percentage (.266) and opponent OPS (.644). And much of that production can be attributed to the right-handed quintet of Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo, who combined to make 149 of the 162 starts last season.
The only other pitchers to make a start for Seattle were righthander Emerson Hancock (12) and lefty Jhonathan Díaz (1). While it might seem logical to trade one of the five, Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations, has refused to weaken the strongest part of the team in any way, choosing to keep the unit together. Bullpen Expected to be a strength in 2024, the unit was beset by injuries.