The Seattle Mariners recently missed the 2026 postseason due to an inconsistent season overall, which led them to a 76-86 record, a complete step back from the 2025 season. Being a series win away in 2025 from the World Series, to now firing former manager Dan Wilson and not getting close to being in the playoff picture.
Keys to Seattle Mariners Rebounding From a Disappointing 2026 Season
1. Adding more offense to an Inconsistent Lineup
The Mariners were very inconsistent throughout the year, causing the team to spiral out of control in some games and not produce any runs; there are obvious in-house options to fix this issue. Catcher Cal Raleigh’s offensive production was almost missing from the lineup. Another hitter, whether it’s in-house or free agency, paired with center fielder Julio Rodriguez and first baseman Josh Naylor, as well as Raleigh, to help take the pressure off the core pieces.
The other would be re-signing left fielder Randy Arozarena to a deal. Cause again, the offense wasn’t good enough to win multiple games. Adding some free agents as well could bolster this lineup overall.
This offense for the Mariners ranked 27th, and the batting average as a team was .233 overall for the 2026 season. There needs to be some serious upgrades overall to get where they want to be for the 2027 season. As last season, the Mariners lacked offense from the lineup.
2. Fixing a Bad Defense
Seattle’s defense was not very good either in the 2026 season and needs better coaching and more upgrades from a player’s personal standpoint. The Mariners were at an MLB worst- 52 outs above average. So there needs to be a lot of work done overall.
Fundamentals need to improve overall with this team, while also maybe adding some talent overall, although the team’s roster is not bad overall, but maybe to refurbish the roster, whether again with in-house options or players through free agency.
What would help is some players, such as shortstop and third baseman Colt Emerson, taking the next step in improving on defense. Not a complete mountain to climb, but some work to do overall to fix this problem for next year.
3. Upgrading Pitching
The Mariners’ pitching was a strong suit in the 2025 season, ranking seventh; however, the pitching took a step back in the 2026 season, and the bullpen did as well. There were games this season where the bullpen couldn’t close out games, and the team lost those games, whether in the ninth inning or in extra innings.
Starting right-handed pitcher and ace Logan Gilbert led the way with a 3.60 ERA with 186 innings pitched and 32 games started in the 2026 season. George Kirby and Bryan Woo follow Gilbert in the starting rotation as well. Kirby had a 4.33 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 30 starts. Woo also had a 4.01 ERA with 175 strikeouts.
The starting three pitchers weren’t the issue this season; it was when the team got further down the rotation that the depth was lacking to be a good starting rotation overall. And again, the team ran into some trouble with the back end of the starting pitching.
However, the team’s starting rotation ranked 12th overall in 2026, which is not bad but needs to be better. So it is important to invest in some more quality pitching arms to the rotation overall this offseason for better starting pitching for the 2027 season.
The Bullpen would also need some upgrades, as the bullpen unit had a 4.46 ERA overall, which was a very middle-to-lower-tier bullpen.
The Last Word
Overall, Seattle’s roster is not a mess but does need some fine-tuning in some areas, as mentioned, to get back to competing and to the playoffs.
Main Image: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
