What better way to start the new Mariners thread than with the news of Cal Raleigh, our beloved Big Dumper, and currently the best catcher in baseball, who is finalizing a 6-year and 105 million extension with the team. Signals for this deal started 6 months ago when Raleigh fired Scott Boras as his agent, implying he wanted to remain in Seattle long term. Now it's (almost) done. Opening day on thursday at home against the Nowhere Athletics. I'll write some sort of season preview in the next few days but it will probably say the same as last year, as the 2024 team returns almost with no changes at all. GOMS.
Opening day is here!! The Mariners open the season tonight against the Athletics and of course I'll miss it because of work. But that's fine. There are 161 more games. The expectations are the same as the past few years: Make a run at this thing. For the past 4 years the Mariners have fallen short of the playoffs by one game 3 times. The other one, they actually made it. The general belief is that one full year of Dan Wilson as manager and HOFer Edgar Martinez as Hitting Coach will finally make us take that one last step we've been missing. If this is not the best rotation in baseball, it is at least top 3. Logan Gilbert, fresh from a career year, has been named opening day starter and ace of the rotation. He has to be in the Cy Young conversation, but I'm afraid of East Coast Bias. Luis Castillo started to decline at the end of last year but he's still a solid number 2. George Kirby will start the season on the IL but once he comes back he'll be awesome again. Finally the youngsters Miller, Woo and Hancock would be number 3 or even number 2 in almost any other team. The bullpen will remain strong and will get better once Matt Brash returns from TJ surgery (no pun intended) in a couple months. Andrez Muñoz will settle as the best closer in baseball, or at least in the AL if Ohtani decides to become a closer. He developed a change up over the winter to go along his 103mph fastball and 90+ mph slider that M's hitters themselves have described as the filthiest pitch they have ever seen. As hitting goes, strikeouts have to go down. For two years in a row Mariners hitters have lead the league in strikeouts and it hasn't been even close. Julio Rodriguez can't afford to have another slow start of the year. .500OPS in april/may just won't cut it no matter if it jumps to .900 once the summer starts. New millionaire Cal Raleigh will remain the cornerstone. If he could juuuust improve that .218 avg he'd be in the HOF conversation already but he's clutch, bats for power from both sides, and is a platinum glove winner. You can't steal a base off the Big Dumper but that won't stop other teams from trying. JP Crawford, Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver must have bounce back years. They were incredible in 2023 (Garver for the Rangers WS run) but awful in 2024. Rowdy Tellez won the 1B job in spring training coming out of nowhere and he could be the 1B/DH we've been looking for since Nelson Cruz left. The bar is too low, he only has to be half decent. As usual, the biggest question mark is who will play 2B. Seems like Ryan Bliss will get the nod for opening day. He showed glimpses in the limited time he got last year. If he struggles, expect Utility gold glove winner Dylan Moore to take over, but we know what he is at this point. Finally the OF...Randy Arozarena is another one who needs a bounce back year. Maybe after being settled in his new home he can improve. Victor Robles signed a "prove it" deal over the winter...let's hope he can repeat his awesome 2024. And Julio...Julio is Julio. He has to have an MVP type of year for this team to succeed. If you're scoring at home, that's 3 Mexicans in the opening day roster (Muñoz and Tellez by birth, Arozarena is cuban born but became a Mexican citizen a couple years ago). I can't wait. Let's do this!! Happy baseball season.
In order to avoid repeating myself all season and clog the storage in the server, just assume I use this meme after pretty much every Mariners win: Another comeback win. 1 down, 161 to go.
The M's split the series against the A's and it looked ugly at times, especially in game 2 when we lost 7-0. It was just like last season...and the one before that. Pitching gems by the starter wasted by a putrid offense. Stuff that was supposed to be fixed keeps happening. Anyway...tonight we open a 3-game series against the Tigers. Let's see how it goes...
Mariners avoid the sweep barely winning 3-2 against the reigning American League Cy Young. They were 1-hit by the Tigers #5 starter the night before. This team can really drive you insane. Day off today and tomorrow we open a series in San Francisco, their home opener. That will be tough, hope we can rescue at least one game again.
A brutal loss in game 1. Carlos Vargas struck out 3 batters in the 11th inning and still lost. The balls and strikes appeal system can't come fast enough. I'll look back to this one when we miss the playoffs by 1 game AGAIN.
Mariners got swept in San Francisco. The silver lining is that every game could've gone either way. We were walked off twice and had a chance to win every game. I'd like to think it was just bad luck and a bad umpire. Not as bad as Victor Robles injuring his left shoulder and leaving the field screaming in pain yesterday. Looks like he will lose a lot of time and the depth in the outfield is not good. Today we send Gilbert to the mound at home to start a series against the Astros, who also are having a slow start. Need to start winning some games!!
Robles is out at least 3 months. Maybe the whole season. Now we have a huge hole in RF and the leadoff spot.
Over the weekend the Mariners lost a series they didn't deserve to lose. Today the Mariners won a series they didn't deserve to win. Baseball is such a chaotic and beautiful thing. Clutch hits by Julio and a Grand Slam in the 8th for Arozarena and things will be a little more quiet over the day off. Next up: Rangers on friday.
Ryan Bliss, Washington state native, who grinded for years in the minor leagues, and made the Mariners opening day line up at 2B, is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Devastating.
Mariners swept the Rangers and have now won 4 in a row. This is why you never freak out before easter...or the summer, for that matter. Day off today and tomorrow a 9-game road trip starts in Cincinnati. Luis Castillo revenge game tomorrow. Let's make it 5 in a row.
Mariners took the series against the Reds and are finally above .500 for the first time this season. Game 3 was epic. We had it won, then the bullpen blew it, and then Raleigh (with his 100th career HR) and Arozarena brought us right back and won in 11 innings. Baseball is awesome sometimes. Tomorrow we open a series against the Blue Jays. Canada is Cal Raleigh territory. It's the park where he has hit the most HRs in his career, apart from T-Mobile Park, of course.
