Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor both had successful surgeries this offseason to deal with nagging injuries that affected their 2026 seasons, a notable bit of Mariners-related housekeeping as the offseason moves forward.
There was also a rough note attached to George Kirby’s year, with his fastball going from his best pitch to one of his worst this season.
And Randy Arozarena picked up a major individual honor, landing among the league’s 10 finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, which goes to the best overall offensive performer in each league.
Around the league, the postseason keeps rolling. The New York Yankees turned in their best Seattle Mariners infield impression last night, and it cost the Tampa Bay Rays in a 5-2 Yankees win that gave New York a 2-0 ALDS lead.
The Chicago White Sox are now one win away from their first home playoff clincher in 120 years after edging the Cleveland Guardians 4-3.
Out in the NLDS, the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres are set for a 6:30 PM matchup with Milwaukee having a chance to advance, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves are scheduled for 3 PM action this afternoon.
One of the night’s bigger talking points came from San Diego, where a series of tipped pitches by Padres closer Mason Miller may have played a role in Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single for the Brewers in NLDS Game 2.
There was also a strange scene in Milwaukee in Game 1, and Adam Zimmer at Brew Crew Ball discussed the brief history of balls hitting the roof after that bizarre moment at American Family Field.
The Padres’ bullpen decisions have now cost them the lead in both NLDS games, which, as the source put it, sounds familiar.
Elsewhere, Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice has now hit five home runs, giving him the second-most home runs in Yankees history through a player’s first 10 postseason games.
In Other News...
Jerry Dipoto Just Raised The Stakes For Seattle's Manager Search
The Mariners manager search has taken on a little more weight than usual after Jerry Dipoto acknowledged a problem that cant be brushed aside. Multiple major league players, he said, noticed a disconnect between what they were taught in the minors and the coaching approach once they reached Seattle, a mismatch that goes beyond individual preference and gets at how the organization functions from top to bottom.
With the club leaning toward getting more out of returning players rather than tearing the roster apart, the next manager will be asked to do more than fill out a lineup card. Seattle needs someone who can help smooth out that handoff from development to the majors and bring some consistency to a system that has clearly sent mixed signals, which makes this one of the most important hires Dipoto has faced. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Collapse Looks Different After What We Learned About The Offense
The Mariners 2026 slide came into focus less as a mystery and more as a roster problem as the season wore on. A 76-86 finish was disappointing on its own, but the bigger issue was how quickly the lineup thinned out, with injuries hitting key players such as Josh Naylor and Cal Raleigh and forcing the club to keep piecing together an offense that never really settled in. Both players eventually required surgery, a reminder that the damage went beyond the usual bumps of a long year.
What made the collapse feel different was how many projected starters were never fully available, or were trying to contribute while dealing with pain. The result was an offense that fell well short of the previous season and left the Mariners fighting uphill far too often. For a team built with more ambition than its final record suggested, the hard part now is sorting out how much of the season was bad luck, and how much was a warning about the roster itself. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face A Delicate Bryce Miller Decision With Real Risk
Bryce Millers future with the Mariners is becoming one of those offseason decisions that looks simple on paper and messy in practice. Seattle controls a $6.075 million option for the 2027 season, but theres also a modest buyout attached, and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports the club is expected to pass on the option in favor of a salary just over $3.5 million next season.
For a pitcher who has shown real ability when healthy, the calculus is not just about the price tag. Millers recent injury history adds real risk to a decision that also has to account for what his market might look like through arbitration, and the Mariners now have to decide whether the savings are worth the uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]