The 2026 season is upon us and expectations are high in Seattle, but here are five questions the Mariners must answer in the coming months.
It’s strange how the heartbreaking end to last season feels like a lifetime ago, and yet simultaneously it’s hard to believe the 2026 campaign is already upon us. In any event, the Mariners are now preparing for arguably the most important year in franchise history, which just so happens to coincide with their 50th season.
There’s plenty of legitimate reasons for Mariners fans to be excited by what lays ahead, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t also reasons to be weary, especially given the natural up-and-down roller-coaster ride of emotions which accompanies the journey of 162 regular season games. As such, here are five questions which will need answering in the coming months of a season which fans hope will extend into the beginning of October and beyond:
1. Should Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena be a concern?
We genuinely don’t like including this question and do feel reluctant giving ongoing life to what was a totally unnecessary drama, and yet here we are. The Mariners have put a premium on improving team chemistry in the clubhouse by bringing in high-character players, but there is at least some concern about any lingering effects from the Cal Raleigh-Randy Arozarena incident at the World Baseball Classic.
Initially a lot of people believed Raleigh was in the wrong for not accepting a handshake request from Arozarena, but as more information emerged it turned out the latter knew ahead of time not to even try, meaning he effectively he intentionally antagonized the situation. The two-time All-Star went off during postgame interviews about a lack of respect, when the reality is it was he who showed this by making his Mariners teammate look bad in front of an international audience.
Since returning to Peoria, Arozarena has refused to discuss the situation and only released a statement which didn’t even mention Raleigh, although the two have apparently talked to each other about what happened. We genuinely don’t want to believe the situation will linger or cause any resentment long-term, and yet you can’t entirely eradicate the possible impact on team chemistry in the clubhouse.
2. How healthy will the rotation be in 2026?
The Mariners will understandably be hoping the rotation returns to their dominance of two seasons ago, when they led the majors in team ERA, WHIP, opposing batting average and fewest walks. Last year saw them regress and rank 13th, fourth, tied-11th and fifth respectively in those same categories.
Key to this regression was the health of the starting five, which went from missing 13 combined outings through injury in 2024 to 34 in 2025. Whilst appreciating how unusual such durability was two seasons ago with four starters making 30+ appearances, the Mariners equally hope they will be more fortunate this year compared to the previous campaign.
Unfortunately for the Mariners they’re already in a tough position before the 2026 season even begins, with Bryce Miller’s availability for opening day in jeopardy, and key depth starter Logan Evans already gone for the year. On the plus side former sixth overall draft pick Emerson Hancock has been excellent during spring training, although offseason addition Cooper Criswell has also looked good and might have the edge to replace Miller by virtue of his lack of options.
3. What is the situation at shortstop?
The evolution of the issue with J.P. Crawford’s shoulder has been concerning to say the least, after the initial claim that there was no issue and he dealt with something similar last year. This progressed to taking a cautious approach and limiting him to DH duties, to now being a legitimate chance he won’t be available for opening day.
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander insists the concern level is not high, helped by imaging results coming back clean, but the next few days will be key in determining if Crawford is on the field come Mar. 26 versus the Guardians. For all the criticism he receives he’s underappreciated at times, with a prime example being a 146 wRC+ in high leverage situations which is tied for ninth all-time with a certain Mike Trout.
If Crawford is unavailable on opening day at shortstop, a lot of people want the Mariners to start Colt Emerson, who is the number one prospect in the farm system. However, while his talent is clear and he’s shown enough glimpses of what he can do during spring training, the belief is Leo Rivas would get the nod due to his previous experience at the position combined with his ability as a switch-hitter.
4. Will Julio Rodríguez finally put it together for a full year?
There is zero doubt that Julio Rodríguez has the five-tool talent to be one of the biggest superstars in all of baseball, and yet he still isn’t quite there yet. The biggest obstacle holding him back is how much he has struggled in the first half of each of his four seasons, compared to when he blows up once the calendar flips to July.
This is not to say Rodríguez is outright horrendous during the first half of each campaign; it just isn’t as effective, with one example from last season being his 107 wRC+ through the end of June turning into a 147 wRC+ the rest of the way. At its worst though, he had a 86 wRC+ for the first half of 2024 and then a 159 wRC+ from July onwards.
Rodríguez has been predicted to challenge for MVP honors before, but this time such proclamations seem be better-placed due to looking good early in spring training and then facing legitimate competition earlier thanks to the WBC. He’s truly driven to continue working on improving his game to be the best version of himself, and now we wait to see how this translates to the field during the early months of the 2026 season.
5. Can Mariners live up to sky-high expectations?
After being one of the least successful franchises in the majors for the majority of their existence, the Mariners are now viewed as a model example of how to run a sports organization. They are one of just four teams with 85+ wins every season since 2021, which alludes to how consistent they’ve become at getting results on the field.
As much as 2001 remains the gold standard due to equalling the all-time Major League record of 116 wins in a season, last year was the closest the Mariners got to the ultimate prize as they came within just eight outs of a first ever World Series berth. As a result they are among the favorites to win it all this season, with FanGraphs giving them the second-best odds out of all 30 MLB teams to claim that elusive championship.
Certainly this roster is stronger than the one which took the field a year ago, boosted by the acquisition of Brendan Donovan and the prospect of a full campaign of the energizer bunny known as Josh Naylor. If the rotation can remain healthy and the bullpen is indeed stronger than last season, fans can expect the Mariners to be in genuine contention come September time.
Photos courtesy of Tim Rogers Photography
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