Seattle Mariners

Off-season Overview:

They did it. In 2022 Seattle ended its 20-year playoff appearance drought and made the Postseason for the first time since 2001. They remain, however, the only active franchise to never reach a World Series. Last year was a great year to be a Mariners' fan, the team was electric, and they should be even better this year. For every player lost in free agency, the Mariners made the right moves to stay competitive and add depth. Mitch Haniger was upgraded for slugger Teoscar Hernandez, they landed Kolten Wong in a trade from the Brewers after Adam Frazier departed, there are high expectations of Evan White returning from injury, and AJ Polluck adds solid depth to the outfield. It remains a question who will be the everyday 3rd outfielder but they are not without options. I anticipate, assuming everyone stays health, they will platoon Polluck and former top-prospect Jarred Kelenic, who needs to show he can produce offensively to stay relevant in the Mariners' system. On the pitching side, Seattle didn't do much this offseason because, well, they didn't need to do much. They have a great starting core of pitchers while having enough depth to assist the rotation where needed. Overall they had a fantastic off-season and did enough to remain a threat.

Ceiling:

A World Series Victory. The Mariners do not begin the season as favorites by any means. They have a strong starting rotation led by their ace, Luis Castillo, followed by some polished arms in Robby Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. In playoff baseball, there are few teams with a better starting four. It's also hard to overlook the impact superstar Julio Rodriguez brings to a team. With the moves made this offseason the Mariners have created an offense that will be able to hit lefties and righties well and they added enough talent to keep them competitive in a strong AL West division. Another dose of some Cal Raleigh magic and the Mariners ceiling is its first ever World Series appearance where anything can happen.

Floor:

On the flip side, the late-year magic doesn't carry over to this team and the Mariners finish 4th in the AL West. They should be a great team, but there are still a lot of question marks with the roster. It's tough to see their bullpen performing as well as they did last year and who will step up in their offense to make them a real threat? Overall, the floor is more of a testament to how good the AL West has become.

My Prediction:

The Mariners lose in the...…World Series. This team is dangerous. Playing against a tough AL West (Ohtani, DeGrom, the Astros rotation) all year will only help this team. I love their playoff pitching potential and they have an exciting offensive to feed off of and to spark a deep run. I don't think they win the division, but they match up well in the playoffs and win all the way until the World Series.

-- Cyrus Beermann