Seattle Mariners Roster Confident in Team's Chances Heading Into 2025
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When the Seattle Mariners play the Athletics on opening day on March 27, the roster will look almost exactly the same as it did in 2024.
The Mariners will have the same starting rotation as 2024 and, aside from the addition of Donovan Solano, will have a very similar lineup to last season as well.
For reference, Seattle missed the playoffs by one game in 2024 after having as large as a 10-game lead in June. It was the second year in a row the team missed the postseason by one game and the fourth consecutive year its playoff fate was decided in the final week of the season.
Despite this, the Mariners players, coaches and top executives are confident in the roster's ability to compete in 2025.
Seattle closed out 2024 on a good note. After manager Dan Wilson and hitting coach (now senior director of hitting strategy) Edgar Martinez were hired, the team went 21-13 and the offense was considerably better than it had been the four-and-a-half months prior.
MLB.com's Daniel Kramer published an article on Thursday, featuring quotes from many key figures on the Mariners roster and within the organization. In the story, catcher Cal Raleigh said the team isn't content with just assuming the six weeks under Wilson and Martinez will translate to 2025.
Cal Raleigh, No. 3⃣4⃣ in 2024 and No. 9⃣3⃣ of his career, the most in MLB history through a catcher's first four seasons ... He's also the first catcher in Mariners history with 100 RBIs in a season.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) September 29, 2024
Exit velo: 109.2 mph
Launch angle: 27°
Distance: 412 ft.
Hang time: 5.0 seconds pic.twitter.com/gpR6dRkKvP
“I don't necessarily think it's a, 'Oh, it just happened, so it's going to translate,’” Raleigh said. “No, we have to show up, and we have to start these things now.”
Seattle's franchise star, Julio Rodriguez, is confident in the roster's ability to be able to do what Raleigh alluded to:
“A lot of us you can say didn't have the best year and some things were happening too,” Rodriguez said. “I just think we have a really talented group. Maybe a lot of people don't want to see it like that, but that's their opinion. And I don't personally really care about that.
"I just think that this group has what it takes, and I feel like that's something that will continue to be focused on.”
The Mariners dealt with various injuries and inconsistencies throughout 2024. They also had to deal with a managerial change and the departure of multiple hitting coaches. It will be interesting to see what Seattle's roster could look like if players bounce back and stay healthy.
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