Athletics’ Collapse Turns AL West Into Three-Team Race for Mariners

The A’s are wounded, the race has narrowed and the Mariners have work to do.

Jun 21, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) walks to the dugout before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Mariners entered the All-Star break needing a reset and a reason to feel patient. The offense has been inconsistent. Several key players have dealt with injuries. The AL West has refused to produce a dominant team, keeping everyone close enough to make the standings more congested than they should be.

Well, before the second half starts, we can remove one excuse from the pile. The Athletics have fallen apart.

Brent Rooker is done for the season. Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof are on the IL. Jacob Wilson has been working his way back from a shoulder injury. Luis Severino is on the 60-day IL, and Gunnar Hoglund underwent season-ending hip surgery.

That would be enough to knock most teams off course. The A’s have also been trying to navigate some pretty miserable pitching and an extended losing stretch. They responded by firing pitching coach Scott Emerson, who had been with the organization in some capacity since 2003.

This is no longer the young, pesky team hanging around in the division race. This looks like an organization trying to stop the second half from spiraling completely out of control.

After losing nine straight, it’s pretty safe to say the AL West is down to the Mariners, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. 

Athletics’ Injuries Have Changed the AL West Race

Nobody should celebrate another team losing players to injuries. The Athletics didn’t simply play themselves out of contention. Nearly everything exciting about their roster was ripped apart. That still changes the reality confronting the Mariners.

Kurtz had emerged as one of the most dangerous young hitters and an MVP candidate in the American League, batting .266 with 20 home runs and 66 RBI through 92 games. Rooker had topped 30 homers in each of the previous three seasons. Gelof was hitting .273 with 11 home runs before landing on the IL. Removing all three from the same lineup takes away much of what made the Athletics dangerous. 

Their pitching was already struggling before the injuries piled up. They carried a 5.21 team ERA into the break, and their continued collapse led to Emerson’s dismissal. They aren’t mathematically eliminated, making it a bit bold to say they’re out of it. But we can also use our eyes. 

They’ve lost too many players, too many games and too much ground. 

Jerry Dipoto Has Even Less Reason to Sit Out the Trade Deadline

The Mariners have no control over the Athletics’ medical situation. However, they can control how aggressively they respond to an opening in the division.

Seattle came into this season as the favorite to win the division. Yet they’re looking up at the Rangers with the Astros attempting to sneak their way back into the race.

The Mariners have spent years trying to build a sustainable contender, protect their young talent and avoid making reckless decisions for short-term gratification. That’s fine. They are currently on one of their longest runs of sustained success in recent memory. Nobody is asking Dipoto to empty the farm system for two months of an average veteran.

But fans are asking the Mariners to act with urgency and recognize the standings in front of them. The A’s collapse should make that mission more urgent.

Winning the division would guarantee Seattle a postseason spot and possibly remove the uncertainty of fighting through a packed wild-card race. They don’t need to transform themselves into the best team in baseball before the deadline. They need to become better than the rest of the AL West. That’s a realistic goal.