Seattle won’t be part of the 2026 title chase, but the World Series will still produce a first-time champion.
With the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays advancing out of their leagues, baseball is set to crown a new champion for the second time in four seasons. That trims the list of teams that have never won the Fall Classic from five to four.
For Mariners fans, that means the familiar reminder hangs around a little longer. Seattle entered 2026 with real hope of making a run not just to its first World Series, but to finally getting off the short list of clubs that have never reached baseball’s biggest stage. Instead, the season ended without a playoff berth.
The Brewers and Rays both carry Seattle ties, too. Milwaukee’s roots trace back to the Seattle Pilots, who played one season in 1969 before moving to Wisconsin. That move led to the lawsuit that ultimately helped bring Major League Baseball back to Seattle in the form of the Mariners.
Tampa Bay’s connection is different but still hard to miss. The Rays have traded with Jerry Dipoto’s Mariners more than any other team since he took over, and the two clubs have often looked like close cousins in the way they operate. There’s also a Seattle link in the front office: Jeff Sullivan, the founder of this very blog, works as a senior analyst in the Rays baseball operations department.
So the path is simple now. Somebody is going to win it all, and it won’t be the Mariners in 2026.
In Other News...
Mariners Manager Search Just Got Tougher For One Big Reason
The Angels managerial opening has added another wrinkle to the Mariners search for a new skipper, with one of the most recognizable jobs on the West Coast suddenly back on the market. Kurt Suzuki is out after a single season in Anaheim, where the team struggled through a rough year and spent plenty of time dealing with injuries, leaving the Angels needing a reset at the top.
For Seattle, the timing matters because the Angels job has its own appeal, from the market to the organizational spotlight that comes with managing in Southern California. The situation is only more complicated with a change in ownership on the horizon, and that could make the vacancy even more attractive to the kind of candidates the Mariners are trying to evaluate. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Search Just Raised A Big Question About This Roster
The Mariners managerial search has taken another turn, and it says as much about the organizations priorities as it does about the candidates themselves. Along with more familiar names such as Joe Espada and Rocco Baldelli, the club is also interviewing Jason Kanzler, the Cubs director of player development, adding a different type of voice to the mix as Seattle weighs its next move.
Kanzlers path is rooted more in minor league work and player development than in big-league dugout experience, with stops in the Astros and Cubs organizations shaping his rsum. For a Mariners club that has spent plenty of time trying to blend young talent into a contending roster, that background makes him a relevant option even if it also raises the obvious question of what kind of manager Seattle really wants leading this group. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Search Just Took A Turn Fans Didn't See Coming
The Mariners managerial search has taken a slightly different shape in recent days, with Jason Kanzler emerging as a serious candidate for the opening. Kanzler is currently the Chicago Cubs director of player development, and his background has drawn attention because it blends coaching, analytics and hands-on work with young talent. He also has previous coaching experience with the Astros, where he worked closely with players such as Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman.
For Seattle, the appeal is pretty clear. The next manager will inherit a roster that mixes established veterans with younger pieces still trying to settle in, and that kind of bridge role can matter as much as dugout experience. Kanzler fits the profile of an instructor and evaluator, though he does not bring major league managerial experience to the table, which makes him an intriguing name as the process moves forward alongside Joe Espada and Rocco Baldelli. [Read more 🡒]