Seattle Mariners
2024 record: 85-77
Second place, AL West
Team ERA: 3.49 (T-1st in MLB)
Team OPS: .687 (22nd in MLB)
What Went Right
As expected, the Mariners pitching was among the best in baseball; in particular the starting group. Logan Gilbert led all of baseball in innings with 208 ⅔ frames, and his 3.23 ERA and 220 strikeouts show there was quality with the quantity. Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo — the fourth and fifth starters on the team to open the year — both posted ERAs under 3.00 and look to be on the rise. Combine that with solid seasons from George Kirby and Luis Castillo and you have arguably the most complete 1-5 in the sport. The Mariners also got a solid season from closer Andres Munoz with a 2.12 ERA and 77/26 K/BB over 59 1/3 innings, and Collin Snider came out of nowhere with a 1.94 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings against 13 walks.
The offense mostly struggled, but there were some decent offensive seasons for Seattle in 2024. Victor Robles was cast off by Washington, and became the Mariners best hitter with a .320 average, 30 stolen bases and an .867 OPS over 77 games. Cal Raleigh passed Mike Piazza for the most homers for any catcher over his first four seasons with 93, and 34 of those roundtrippers came in 2024 with an even 100 RBI. And while Julio Rodriguez had his ups and downs in 2024 — more on that in a second — he was able to produce 20 homers and 24 stolen bases while playing sensational defense in center field.
What Went Wrong
The Mariners were at one point 44-31 and built a 10 game lead in the division. They ended up blowing that lead in a few short months, fired long-time manager Scott Servais and missed the playoffs for the 22nd time in 23 seasons. That blame goes almost entirely on the offense, and no team struck out more than Seattle did with 1,625 in 2024. Mitch Garver was a disaster in his first year in Seattle with a .627 OPS and went from being full-time designated hitter to backup catcher by the end of the season. Mitch Haniger’s return to Seattle saw him slash .208/.286/.334, and Jorge Polanco needed a hot run just to get up to 16 homers and a .651 OPS. The team did make trades at the deadline to help improve the offense with the additions of Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner, and while both players helped more than hurt in their two months with the club, it wasn’t enough with the team finishing a game back of the postseason for the second straight campaign.
And while the rotation was strong, the bullpen…