SEATTLE — The Mariners are not playing close to how many expected entering the 2023 season, after the thrills of Seattle's snapping of its playoff drought a year ago.
Fans hoping for contention instead have had to settle for mediocrity, as the Mariners prepare to come out of the All-Star Break just one game above .500 (45-44) and six games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. Even in the Wild Card standings, which is how Seattle qualified for the postseason in 2022, Seattle is four games behind the three teams currently holding those coveted spots.
However, disappointed fans got a reprieve from the up-and-down nature of the Mariners' season with the 2023 MLB All-Star Game and accompanying events taking place in Seattle over the league's break. Julio Rodriguez even set a Home Run Derby record for dingers in a single round, and the Emerald City got to showcase its beauty with the collective baseball world watching.
Now that the dust has settled and SODO's many All-Star activations have been cleaned up, the focus returns to the middling Mariners.
Pitching-wise, the Mariners have performed well in 2023. Seattle ranks in a tie for sixth in MLB with 4.13 runs allowed per game mark, and the pitching staff's cumulative ERA ranks fifth in the league. Luis Castillo was an unquestioned All-Star and George Kirby has built off his strong 2022 postseason into a future rotation staple. Logan Gilbert hasn't taken that next step into a consistently great pitcher yet, but the former first-round draft pick does have one of the lowest walk rates in the sport.
The problems for the Mariners all stem back to the offense. Seattle is tied for the fifth-fewest hits in 2023, and only the Minnesota Twins have logged more strikeouts than the maligned M's batters. Julio Rodriguez isn't close to the MVP trajectory many expected him to be on this season, but the best Mariner's individual batting average among the regular starters is Ty France at just .261.
Seattle seemed to be invested in competing for championships after inking Castillo and Rodriguez to expensive contract extensions a year ago, but so far the team has been quiet on the trade front. If General Manager Jerry Dipoto truly believes the Mariners are capable of pursuing a title, he will need to make some moves before the trade deadline at the end of July to bolster this struggling offense.
Mariners fans shouldn't be expecting some sort of blockbuster deal to send a heap of prospects and stars to the Los Angeles Angels for MVP frontrunner (to put it lightly) Shohei Ohtani. Although he likely appreciated the serenade of "Come to Seattle" chants he received from fans at the All-Star Game, the Angels continue to say they won't trade him, and even if they did, he wouldn't go to one of the Angels' division rivals.
Seattle has a track record of acquiring players who can be with the organization for several years, as opposed to one-year rentals.
Second base and designated hitter are two particular spots where the Mariners might upgrade the offense, as newcomers Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock both have been huge disappointments and are hitting below .200 in 2023.
The schedule coming out of the All-Star break does offer some hope for M's fans, as the team begins with a 10-game homestand that starts with seven games against two teams from the worst-performing division in baseball. AL Central members the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins will both make their way to Seattle, offering a chance for the Mariners to come out of the gates on a winning streak.
Per Tankathon, only three teams have an easier strength of schedule over the remainder of the 2023 MLB season. If the Mariners can take advantage of weaker teams and stack up wins, they can get right back into the postseason mix.
However, the offense is going to have to more regularly show up and find a way to put a scare into opposing pitchers. That still looks like a big if, but it is certainly possible with the talent in the lineup.
Cautious optimism will be the theme for the Mariners as the rest of July takes shape, and some of the same magic that propelled last season's postseason run will need to manifest in order to bring Seattle another October of playoff baseball.