What do fans want? Not much—just some clarity. A sign that their team has a plan. A reason to believe that their next season will be better than the last. But the Seattle Mariners didn’t think so. They have given fans the exact opposite. Their off-season wasn’t just quiet; it was just puzzling to the core. Logically, given that they were just one game away from making it to the playoffs, one would think they would go all-in and bolster their roster, right? Well, instead, the Seattle Mariners stood still like a ship anchored in the harbor, making fans puzzled.
And of everyone, it was a former Mariners player, Justin Turner, who had to bite the bullet and talk about his former team in public. Turner didn’t mince words on the team’s lack of urgency. “The fact that they missed the playoffs by one game and didn’t go out and add an impact bat when you have the best pitching staff in baseball just doesn’t make any sense to me,” he told USA Today Sports. And ultimately, he left for the Chicago Cubs for one year and $6 million. And his statements have gone viral now, and some, like Nick Thune, agreed to it.
Nick Thune, who is also a Seattle Mariners fan, agreed to Turner! During his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, the comedian questioned the Mariners and backed Turner’s comments, “The Mariners’ offseason was not the ideal situation. Justin Turner just put some light on that, which I thought was nice. I mean, it’s good when you actually have a player speak for what the fans are saying.” Ouch, that was a sarcastic jab at the Seattle Mariners. But can you blame him? Thune, like other Mariner fans, is just simply baffled.
The Seattle Mariners had every reason to go all in, and they didn’t. They were linked to several key stars like Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, and Christian Walker in free agency. But they all ended up as mere rumors, and the only pieces they added were Donovan Solano and Jorge Polanco, that too on short-term deals. This isn’t the way a team goes about it if they want to win now. And in MLB, hesitation ends up being costly.
Now as the Mariners simply sat on their hands, their biggest rival, the Texas Rangers, got even stronger. The Houston Astros and Rangers made moves one after another to be competitive. Hence it is understandable why the lack of action is frustrating fans now. They are forced to ask the question—is the front office even trying?
Not Seattle Mariners but Rangers are set to take over AL West
This time, for the first time in a long time, AL West isn’t just Houston’s playground. The division has been a one-horse race for a good part of the decade. But this season, there is a change in the air. And of course, it’s not the Mariners bringing the change but the Texas Rangers. They are now in a position to change the dynamics of the division. The expectations are high from Texas, and it’s for a good reason.
FanGraphs has the Texas Rangers as the division favorites. And wait till you hear what number they are projected to win—85! Houston Astros and Seattle are right at their heels, though, with 84. Now here is the thing: Mariners had the chance to close this gap but didn’t. Just last season, 88 wins were enough for Houston to take over AL West. Much of the reason is because they dominated their division rivals. And it’s going to come down to it again in 2025. Right now if you ask who can go head to head with them, it’s Rangers and sadly not Mariners.
And it’s not that Seattle doesn’t have talent. Sure, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez can change things. But ‘could’ doesn’t help win divisions. Now the Seattle Mariners are banking on their new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, along with Edgar Martinez, to help bring the magic. But even that’s not a plan, just hopeful thinking. Fans just have to see the results of the non-action by the Mariners when they play against the Athletics on March 27.
Do you think the Mariners will prove everyone wrong? Let us know in the comments.
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