The Seattle Mariners are staring at an offseason built around honesty.
Logan Gilbert set the tone after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, talking about the reflection and internal conversations that need to happen once the season ends. On Thursday’s “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast, former Mariners infielder and current M’s broadcaster Ryon Healy laid out what those talks actually should sound like.
“You have to pinpoint individually what your contribution or lack of contribution was throughout the course of the season. You don't have control over other players. You only have control over yourself.
So it's really just a deep dive audit into your own season to see where you could have been better, and then formulating a plan for the four or five month offseason that these guys have to figure out.
What can I chip away at? What's the thing that stood out the most, that really got me away from what makes me great?
What parts of my game needs the most development, needs the most focus, and how do I go all in on that from day one of the offseason?
Whether that's an injury of something that I'm trying to recover from, whether that's a strike zone awareness, trying to be more patient with my approach. Maybe it's a specific pitch for a guy like Logan Gilbert that he wants to refine or eliminate.
Picking something specific and then figuring out how you're going to attack it day by day so that next spring training when you show up, you're ready to go.”
That kind of self-scouting comes at the end of a brutal year for Seattle. The Mariners entered the season with World Series expectations and now sit at 71-82 heading into Friday, on track for their first losing season since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
The slide is a jarring one for a team that had stacked up five straight winning seasons from 2021-25. J.P. Crawford is the only player on the current roster who has lived through a losing season with the Mariners, which shows just how long it’s been since things looked like this.
There’s also a bigger uncertainty hanging over whatever comes next. The expectation is that a lockout will follow the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 1, and there’s no way to know how long the owners and Players Association will be stuck in that standoff while they work on the next agreement.
For now, the Mariners still have nine games left to play. They open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.
PT. Bryan Woo will start for Seattle.
He has spent the second half of the season on the road and enters at 12-9 with a 3.88 ERA.
In Other News...
Mariners Could Lose More Than Two Starters This Winter
The Mariners are heading into an offseason where the roster questions go beyond simply filling out a lineup card. Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford are both nearing the end of their contracts, and their possible departures would leave Seattle with major decisions in left field and at shortstop. Arozarena has been more than a bat for this club, serving as a mentor to younger players such as Lazaro Montes, while Crawford has been a steady presence and one of the longest-tenured voices in the clubhouse.
Colt Emerson is widely viewed as Crawfords on-field successor, but replacing the shortstops leadership is a different matter entirely. The bigger issue for Seattle may be the identity it wants to carry into next season, because losing two established veterans at once can ripple through a clubhouse as much as it does a depth chart. How the Mariners handle those departures could shape not just their lineup, but the tone of the room as well. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Got A Late Lifeline In A Playoff Chase That Wont Quit
The Mariners kept their season alive in a tight, late-game test against Colorado, leaning on timely offense and a bullpen that held firm when it mattered most. J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena helped set the table, and Carlos Vargas ended up with the win after Seattle managed to stay close long enough for the game to swing in the final inning.
Lazaro Montes delivered the biggest blow with a go-ahead homer in the ninth, the kind of swing that can change the mood around a clubhouse in a hurry. Andres Munoz finished it off for his 28th save, while Rockies rookie TJ Rumfield quietly kept his own impressive run going by extending his on-base streak to 22 games. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Passed On A Reunion That Looks Worse By The Day
When the Reds put Eugenio Surez on waivers, the Mariners had a chance to bring back a familiar face and instead let him pass through. It was the sort of late-season roster decision that can disappear quickly if the team keeps rolling, but Seattle has had enough trouble this year that every missed opportunity gets a little louder in hindsight.
Surez has made the choice look rough in a hurry, producing immediate offense for Cincinnati with five homers and 11 RBIs over 15 games while posting a .946 OPS. Beyond the numbers, the fit in Seattle was easy to imagine, since a reunion with a player who already knew the organization could have offered a boost in the clubhouse as much as at third base. [Read more 🡒]