The Seattle Mariners know they're facing extremely high expectations now
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Seattle finished the offseason in style when they completed a long-awaited trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Brendan Donovan, finally acquiring the former Gold Glove winner and an All-Star last season. Coupling that with re-signing their top priority, first baseman Josh Naylor, to a multi-year deal has helped the team fill plenty of gaps. The only true open spot(s) are either second or third, depending on where manager Dan WIlson decides to slot Donovan.
With these moves and the fantastic finish the team had in 2025, there are high expectations around the Pacific Northwest to return to the postseason and win the first World Series in franchise history. After blowing a 3-1 lead in the ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays, their seven-game loss in the set has haunted the players, the organization, and the fans since the last out was recorded. Now, they want closure. Most of all, they want to take that experience out on the rest of the league; they want retribution.
“That’s something that you carry with you, an experience that you had," Julio Rodríguez stated about the team's elimination. “That’s something that I will carry with me, the experience that I had in those games, and I feel like it has helped me to become a better player. And bring a little adjusted mentality for this new year.”
The Mariners only trail two teams in terms of their chances of winning the Fall Classic. According to the oddsmakers, they are behind just the New York Yankees and reigning champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. (LA is picked to three-peat this year after their back-to-back titles in 2024 and last season).
CLICK FOR MORE: MLB analyst discusses whether the Mariners gave up too much for Brendan Donovan
That's a lot of weight to carry into the season. And while they may have snuck up on some teams last season, they will have a target on their backs in 2026. How they respond to that pressure could be very telling as the season progresses.
Mariners are keeping their eyes on the prize
As usual, Cal Raleigh, the runner-up for last year's AL MVP and one of the team's leaders, kept things in perspective. He acknowledged the disappointment over the ALCS finish and the agony of the offseason. Still, he says that it's further motivation to seal the deal in 2026.
“Obviously, last year was great. I’m glad we got to celebrate that. It was definitely a special season,” he said. “But at the same time, you have to be able to turn the page and look forward to a new year and understand that what we’re trying to accomplish here is win a World Series and setting the standard, the bar, the expectations super-high, because that’s where we want to be.
I think everybody’s going to be excited going into camp. It’s going to be hard work, though. It’s not going to be easy. New years bring new challenges.“
