Brady's Spin: The American League Has Now Opened Up For Seattle Mariners

If you read this site, or listen to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast, you are going to hear me say this 100 times this season:

I don't want injuries. I don't want injuries to Seattle Mariners players, and I don't want them to the M's opponents. It's that simple. I want the Mariners to win, but I want them to be able to beat the best teams at their best.

That said, injuries are an unfortunate reality of the sport, and when they happen, you have to be prepared to capitalize.

Such is the position that the Mariners are in at the beginning of the 2025 season.

If you asked me a week ago, I would have said that the only path to the playoffs for the Mariners this season was through the American League West. The wild card battle is simply too tough and will be too congested, I would have told you.

How things can change in a week. The New York Yankees have now lost Gerrit Cole for the season to injury, and Luis Gil is out for several months. They are weakened. The Boston Red Sox will see Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito begin the season on the injured list. They are weakened, at least at the start.

And the Baltimore Orioles will be without Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish for a portion of 2025, and that comes on top of losing Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander in the offseason.

Get the picture?

Though the American League is very talented, there are openings. If the M's can get off to a good start, they can keep themselves in the mix for a wild card berth as well, and while the division is always the goal, having options and multiple paths are good too.

The M's just have to be able to put themselves in the mix.

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