Seattle Mariners: Addicted to Mediocrity
Barring any unforeseen surprises, the Mariners’ offseason has come to a close, and many fans who hoped this team will be better than average this season have ended along with it. Many fans are still riding off the high of the 2022 season, which saw the M's return to the postseason for the first time in 20 years. Many fans felt that this was the beginning of a new era for the Mariners, as young players like Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh powered their playoff run; the belief was that the team was a star player away from becoming a true competitor in the American League. Mariners fans waited with bated breath for the big move that could send the M's to their first World Series. It has been three years at the time of writing, and the fans are still waiting.
The offseason following the ending of the playoff drought was full of hype; many believed that due to the team's playoff appearance, ownership would be willing to open the wallet and increase the team's payroll for the upcoming season. Many of the league's top free agents that season were linked to the M's, players like Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, and Carlos Correa, all names who would command contracts well over $200 million but would undoubtedly elevate the team immensely. Ultimately, the Mariners would trade for outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, a slugger from the Toronto Blue Jays. Hernandez was nowhere near Judge or Turner's level, but he was still a great player. Many fans were satisfied with the acquisition of Hernandez; he would likely add the punch the Mariner's offense lacked the previous season.
Unfortunately, Hernandez never panned out for the Mariners, as he struggled greatly that season, finishing third in the league in strikeouts with 211. Hernandez wasn't the only one who struggled in 2023 when it came to striking out, as third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Julio Rodriguez would also finish in the top ten with 214 and 175, respectively. The Mariners' batting struggles and problems on defense would cause them to underperform and, despite only losing two more games than the year before, miss the playoffs.
Fans entered the 2023-2024 off-season with cautious optimism, hoping that the team would see that they were just a few good players away from returning to the playoffs. All hope for the M's was squashed quickly after President Jerry Dipoto's end-of-season press conference. In a now infamous interview, Dipoto would admit that the Mariner's goal each season was to win 54% of their games before remarking, "We're actually doing the fan base a favor" when it came to not going all in on winning the World Series. Dipoto met immediate fury for his comments, not just from Mariners fans but from the world of Baseball as a whole. For many people, Dipoto's comments directly insulted the very concept of sports. Shouldn't every team's goal be to win 100% of their games? Isn't that the whole point?
The Mariners went into the offseason with a clear goal: cutting down on strikeouts. The M's would decide to let Teoscar Hernandez walk in free agency (He went on to win the World Series with the Dodgers), along with trading away Eugenio Suarez and other strike-out-prone players. The Mariners would focus on bringing in players known for having high batting percentages, signing catcher Mitch Garver and baseman Jorge Polanco, and trading for outfielder Luke Raley. While none of these additions were splashy and certainly did not include the signing of a superstar player like many fans wanted, these moves looked like they would improve the team, but considering I'm sitting here writing about how the Mariners have found themselves trapped in a pit of mediocrity, things did not go to plan.
The Mariner's offense in 2024 was worse than the year prior. In their attempt to create a lineup that’s less likely to strike out, the M's made a lineup that was completely incapable of scoring. The Mariners would finish 29th in batting average, only better than the historically bad White Sox. The Mariners would also finish 21st in runs scored, 25th in slugging percentage, 15th in on-base percentage, and 22nd in OPS (which measures the overall efficiency of an offense). The biggest punch in the gut about last season's offense was that they still wound up leading the league in strikeouts, failing at the front office's one goal for this roster.
Despite their offensive woes, the Mariners would still finish the season 85-77; this success was primarily due to the team's elite pitching keeping them in games. Midseason, the Mariners made two trades, acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Rays and baseman Justin Turner from the Blue Jays. These acquisitions sparked the Mariner's offense, but it was too late, as the M's would again miss the playoffs by two games. The disappointment of last season's performance also resulted in the team firing long-time manager Scott Servais. As for the team's offseason additions, Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco had the worst seasons of their careers, with Polanco batting .213 and Garver batting a pitiful .172.
Many Mariners fans (myself included) were calling for the team to make a big move this offseason. After last season, it became clear that the team's conservative approach to free agency would not get it where it wants to be: a World Series. This year's free agent market was overflowing with elite talent at positions of need for the M's. Big names like Juan Soto and Pete Alonso had been floated as possible signings or trades for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Nolan Arenado. Instead, the Mariners have opted to do the same thing they did last year and hope for a different result.
The Mariners spent the first half of free agency in a coma before finally making a move by signing Donovan Solano to a one-year $3.5 million contract. Solano is a 37-year-old journeyman baseman who spent last season with the San Diego Padres. While many were dismayed by this move (myself included), after giving it some thought, I don't hate it. While Solano maybe 37 years old, he's coming off of a great season with the Padres, where he batted .286 and hit a career-high eight home runs. Solano is not a power hitter, but he's good at getting on base and brings defensive versatility, allowing him to line up all over the infield. The only other free agency move the M's made was resigning Jorge Polanco. While Polanco struggled in his first year with the team, he revealed that he was playing through knee issues, which he had surgery for this offseason, which may be at fault for some of his struggles last season, especially on defense. The Mariners believe they can get a healthy Polanco this season, who can return to what he was a few seasons ago.
The problem with these moves is not that they are bad; I argue that, in a vacuum, they are good moves. Solano is coming off a career year, and Polanco is getting healthy. These two have proven in the past that they can be good players. The problem with these moves is what they represent. The actions of the Mariners represent their satisfaction with maintaining the status quo. Jerry Dipoto hinted at this philosophy with his 54% comment, which revealed that the team's only goal is to be good enough to keep the fans invested but, at the same time, save money by not going out and acquiring a big-name player who could turn this good team into a great one. The worst part is that it has worked since 2021; the M's have won exactly 54% of their games. To connect back to the title of this article, it would seem that the Mariners have genuinely found themselves addicted to mediocrity.
While this article was quite a bummer, this team can make the playoffs this season. The Mariners still have the best pitching in the league, and recently, the Athletic ranked the farm system as the best in the MLB. Julio Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford, and Jorge Polanco will have better seasons. It is also worth noting that, as a whole, the American League got weaker this year, especially the West, as the Astros currently have the worst roster they have had in ten years. The Rangers are still facing injury questions with many of their stars. Keep your chins up, M's fans; better days are on the horizon.
