One Week In, the Mariners Are Already Telling You Something About Their Season

One week into the 2026 season and baseball is already wild. Rookies are making history left and right, bullpens are falling apart in Kansas City, Shohei Ohtani looked sharp in his first start, and somehow Miami is sitting pretty at the top of the standings. But here's the thing: nobody's undefeated. Not one team.

So where do the Mariners stand in all this chaos? Our panel just dropped their Week 1 power rankings, and Seattle's got some serious work to do if they want to make noise.

The Dodgers and Yankees Are the Real Deal (So Far)

The Dodgers sit at number one after going 4-2 in their first week, same as their preseason ranking. The story there is Roki Sasaki. The guy was a complete mess in spring training, letting 26 of 52 batters reach base with 15 walks. Terrifying stuff. But in his regular season debut Monday, he pitched into the fifth inning, gave up just one run and two walks, and showed he's got something left in the tank. Sasaki himself said he had "no confidence at all" heading into that start, so this wasn't dominant, but it was a building block the Dodgers absolutely needed.

The Yankees are right behind them at number two with a 5-1 record, up from their number three preseason ranking. Their pitching staff is absurd right now: a 1.01 ERA through six games. They allowed just three runs in their first four games. The crazy part? They're doing this without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, who are both coming back from arm surgery. Cole's expected back in early June, Rodon in the next couple of months (though he's dealing with some hamstring tightness). Luis Gil steps into the fifth rotation spot on April 10. If the Yankees can stay healthy, their bullpen could get even better later in the year.

The Mariners Have Work to Do

Seattle's sitting at number three in the power rankings after going 3-4 to start the season, down from their number two preseason slot. The Mariners locked up their two franchise cornerstones, center fielder Julio Rodriguez and catcher Cal Raleigh, to long-term deals. That's the foundation. But a 3-4 start tells you they've got to find their groove fast if they want to turn this ship around.

It's early, and there's 162 games left to play. But Week 1 is already asking the question: is your team built for the long haul, or are we looking at what could've been?

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.