Can the Mariners Actually Pull Off the 2026 World Series? Here's What We're Dealing With
Look, we're three outs away from talking about a parade down 5th Avenue. The Mariners were literally eight outs away from their first World Series in October, and they brought back virtually all the core pieces. Spring training just started, optimism is sky-high, and there's legitimate talk about Seattle winning a Super Bowl and a World Series in the same year for the first time since Boston did it in 2004. But let's be real: there are real obstacles in the way. So what's the actual case for and against this team winning it all?
Why This Team Can Absolutely Win the World Series
Start with the pitching. In 2024, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Luis Castillo and Bryan Woo combined for the best rotation season in franchise history. We're talking 149 starts and a 3.27 ERA. That's generational stuff. This Fab Five is back for a fourth season together, and when they're clicking, they're in the conversation as the best rotation in all of baseball. Woo had his breakthrough last season as a 25-year-old, making his first All-Star team and finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Gilbert and Kirby are now established veterans who've looked strong this spring. The ceiling here is incredibly high.
Then there's the lineup. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena already gave us one of the best lineups in the AL. Then Brendan Donovan showed up a week before spring training started, and suddenly the M's have a legitimate leadoff hitter with a grind-it-out approach this lineup desperately needed. All five guys at the top of the lineup were All-Stars in the past two seasons. The Mariners hit 238 home runs in 2025, third-most in baseball. Cole Young and J.P. Crawford could be the league's best bottom-of-the-lineup combo. This is a more athletic, dynamic group that can create runs in different ways.
And momentum is real. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl last month, and the M's players and coaches are feeding off that energy. This team has the talent to win 100 games.
But Here's Why It Might Not Happen
Injuries. The rotation got hammered last season. Kirby, Gilbert, Miller and Woo all missed significant time with various ailments after that historic 2024. It's just part of modern baseball now. Already this spring, Miller is sidelined with an oblique strain, and the Mariners might need Emerson Hancock for at least the first couple of rotation turns to open the season. They need to stay healthy.
Then there's the WBC drama. The Mariners had more players participate in the World Baseball Classic than any other MLB team, 17 in all. And yeah, they had more drama too. The Raleigh-Arozarena handshake thing went viral, and Arozarena's refusal to address it added fuel to the fire. Is the bitterness real? Will it mess with the clubhouse? Manager Dan Wilson had to deal with that unexpected distraction between two of his best players on top of workload concerns from March games.
Finally, the Dodgers just won back to back World Series and signed Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz. That's a dynasty you have to go through.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.