Seattle Mariners Listed as One of Top 10 Teams to Watch as GM Meetings Get Going

With the general manager's meetings underway in Texas, a lot of eyes are on the M's.

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander talk to the media prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at T-Mobile Park in 2023. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

As the General Manager's Meetings get going in Texas this week, media members, executives and fans are paying close attention to the Seattle Mariners.

MLB Insider Bob Nightengale listed them as one of his 10 teams to watch at the meetings on Monday. Here's what he had to say:

The Mariners may have been the most dangerous team not to reach the postseason. Certainly, they had the best pitching staff and could have been a nightmare to anyone in their path. They haven’t made the postseason in 22 of their last 23 years. If the streak continues another season, heads will start to roll. Anything less than a playoff berth will be catastrophic. 

The top 10 teams to watch as MLB’s annual GM meetings get underway with rumors already swirling. https://t.co/jrdZ8AkqHZ

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 4, 2024

The Mariners wasted a generationally-great pitching staff this past season, going 85-77 and finishing 1.0 game out of the playoff race. The M's had a 10.0 game lead in the American League West in June before squandering it away just weeks later.

Nightengale is right that there is a real urgency within the fan base and clubhouse, but we don't know what the urgency is within the organization. Team CEO John Stanton has already said the team doesn't plan to spend on big free agents this offseason and Jerry Dipoto was brought back as President of Baseball Operations despite the team's poor finish.

The M's are fortunate to have all their top arms back in 2025 and they should return reliever Matt Brash by mid-season next year. If they can just find some more offense next season, they can be the kind of team that scares other teams, but finding that offense has proven challenging in recent years.

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