The Seattle Mariners’ season crossed the line from disappointing to done on Thursday, even after Wednesday night’s 6-5 win over the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park briefly gave them something to feel good about.
That result may wind up as the last real high point of a frustrating 2026 campaign. Once the Texas Rangers beat the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon, Seattle was officially knocked out of playoff contention. The Mariners are 74-84 with four games left, and now the only task is to close the year as well as they can.
Seattle lasted one day longer than the Toronto Blue Jays, who were eliminated on Wednesday. For two clubs that were in the American League Championship Series just 11 months ago, the collapse is stunning. It also means this is the first time since 1987 that the two ALCS teams from the previous season will both finish below .500.
There will be plenty of time to pick apart how it all went wrong, but the reasons are already clear enough. The Mariners were hit by injuries all season long, piling up 27 different IL stints.
Their biggest offseason addition, Brendan Donovan, appeared in only 39 games. Matt Brash, their best leverage reliever, hasn’t pitched since June.
The lineup never got the kind of production Seattle needed, either. Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez never found their 2025 form, and Josh Naylor fell short as well.
There wasn’t much of a clear identity to lean on, either. The rotation was solid before the All-Star break, then fell apart afterward.
The bullpen unraveled in August and September. The offense never did enough to cover for that drop-off, and when the pitching held up, the bats often went quiet.
Defense and baserunning were also major problems.
Put it all together, and the Mariners just weren’t a good enough team for too much of the year. That’s the blunt reality behind the standings.
Seattle will wrap up the season with a four-game series against the Angels at T-Mobile Park. The weekend will also mark the final games of Rick Rizzs’s broadcasting career, giving fans one more reason to tune in.
They’ll also get one last look at Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Kade Anderson and Logan Gilbert on the mound.
After that, it’s on to an offseason that could stretch even longer if the expected MLB lockout becomes reality.
In Other News...
Mariners Next Manager Call May Come Down To One Crucial Choice
As the Mariners look ahead to 2027, the conversation around their next manager is already beginning to take shape with Dan Wilson unlikely to return. One name that naturally fits into the discussion is Torey Lovullo, the current Diamondbacks manager, who brings both experience and a past connection to Seattle executive Jerry Dipoto.
Lovullo is in the final year of his contract in Arizona, and his status there is far from settled, which only adds another layer to Seattles planning. For the Mariners, the appeal is obvious: a familiar baseball mind with a track record and an existing relationship in the front office, even if the timing and the broader managerial market could end up deciding how real that fit becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Gave The AL West Race New Life
The Mariners turned a tense night at T-Mobile Park into one that matters all over the American League West, erasing a 4-0 hole and outlasting the Astros 6-5 in 10 innings. Josh Naylor delivered the walk-off RBI single, while Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodriguez chipped in key RBI hits and Cooper Criswell helped steady things with a strong bullpen effort.
For Seattle, the win did more than protect pride in one game. It kept the division chase alive in a real way, but the math remains unforgiving: the Mariners still need to win their final four games and get some help from both Houston and Texas if theyre going to finish the job and take the AL West. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Are Finally Near A Dan Wilson Decision Fans Expected Much Sooner
Dan Wilsons tenure in the Mariners dugout appears to be nearing its end, and the timing has the feel of something the club has been bracing for rather than reacting to. A resolution on his future is expected shortly after the 2026 season wraps, with the most likely window coming around the Tuesday after the final game, and the front office may use a press conference to explain where things stand. John Stanton and Jerry Dipoto are expected to be central voices if and when the club addresses the move.
For Seattle, the bigger picture is less about the formality of the announcement than what comes next. Wilsons exit is expected to be presented as a mutual parting rather than a clean firing, which would soften the edges of a significant transition while still signaling a new direction. The Mariners are already weighing potential replacements, even if no official decision has been made, and the lingering question now is how quickly the organization moves from the end of one era to the start of the next. [Read more 🡒]