The Mariners are still technically alive in the postseason race, but the math is getting uglier by the day. At 10 games under .500, Seattle is basically on the clock now, waiting for the final elimination to make official what has already felt inevitable.
That has pushed the conversation beyond 2026 and into next year’s roster construction. The pitching has actually moved in a better direction, which gives the club something to build on. But the offense has once again become the problem that defines the season, and it’s going to be the first thing Seattle attacks this winter.
The numbers paint a brutal picture. The Mariners sit last in MLB in runs scored with 569.
It’s not just a home run issue, either. They have 163 homers, which ranks 17th in MLB, but everything around that power has been lacking.
Seattle is last in batting average at .229, 25th in on-base percentage at .310, 28th in slugging percentage at .374, and 23rd in OPS with runners in scoring position at .707. That’s a lineup that isn’t creating enough chances and isn’t doing much when chances arrive.
Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez have both taken significant steps backward offensively, and that regression has only sharpened the problem. Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone have tried to carry more of the load, but it hasn’t been enough to pull the group out of the bottom of the league.
And with Arozarena headed for free agency this offseason, Seattle faces the possibility of losing one of its few productive bats right when it needs offense most. He’s already expected to be one of the hottest names on the market, and the Mariners could be forced to move quickly if they want to keep him.
If they look elsewhere, there are options. Seattle could chase a bat such as Seiya Suzuki or even Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted this winter, or it could go the trade route and swing big.
The Mariners still have a strong farm system stocked with big-league ready talent, giving them the kind of pieces that can be used in a serious pursuit. The club’s exact targets won’t be known yet, but the report suggests Seattle could at least inquire about stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Elly De La Cruz.
This is a team that was supposed to use its run to the ALCS in 2025 as the start of something steadier. Instead, Seattle has slid back into the same old pattern. And with the Mariners now on pace to finish below .500 for the first time since 2019, the need for real change is impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Michael Arroyo Just Made Seattles Long Term Question More Urgent
Michael Arroyos promotion brought one of the Mariners most interesting long-term bats into the spotlight, and it arrived at a time when the organization is already sorting through what its next core will look like. The third-ranked prospect in Seattles farm system has earned a reputation as a strong hitter, and his major league debut gives the club a closer look at how ready he might be to help shape the lineup beyond this season.
The catch, of course, is where he fits defensively. Arroyo has mostly played left field, but that spot has not been a clean answer because of his limitations there, and Seattle is still weighing whether he can become part of the future in that role. The timing matters because Randy Arozarena is nearing free agency, which makes the Mariners left-field plan even more urgent as they decide whether Arroyo is a solution, a stopgap, or something in between. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Get A Brendan Donovan Update At The Worst Time
The Mariners are still trying to sort out their late-season picture, and one name hanging over the stretch run is Brendan Donovan, who is working back from the concussion he suffered on Aug. 22. He has remained hopeful about returning before the end of the season, which at least keeps the door open for a late boost if he can get through the final steps of recovery in time.
For Seattle, the timing matters because every healthy piece counts now, and Donovan's status is one more thing to monitor while the calendar keeps moving. There are other league notes floating around, from Aaron Judge's return to the Yankees and Thomas Pannone's perfect game in Triple-A, but the Mariners are mostly left waiting to see whether Donovan's comeback can still arrive before it's too late. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious This Week
The Mariners open their series against the Rangers on Tuesday night, and even in a season that has drifted out of the playoff picture, the game still matters to fans who have made a habit of showing up and following along. What has them frustrated this week is the timing around it all, with the Seahawks also on the schedule in a way that creates a familiar Seattle sports headache for anyone trying to keep one eye on baseball and the other on the NFL.
At the center of the annoyance is a Wednesday conflict that feels avoidable and, to many Mariners fans, like another example of the NFL taking up the most convenient space without much concern for the baseball crowd already committed to its own plan. The result is not just an inconvenient night for anyone trying to attend both, but a reminder that even late in the season, the Mariners can still get squeezed by a citywide schedule that does not always seem designed with them in mind. [Read more 🡒]