The Seattle Mariners have disappointed generations of fans when it comes to the World Series. Since its founding in 1977, the team has never played in a Fall Classic. The Mariners are the only active MLB team that has never reached the championship series. This year, the Mariners entered the season as one of the favorites to win the World Series. However, with the team now below .500 and the postseason only a few weeks away, they would be fortunate just to reach the playoffs. Amidst their current struggles, MLB analysts have not hesitated to call the franchise out.
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“It’s beyond disappointing; it’s disastrous at this point. It’s the offense. Everything is a little bit down, but that offense- 559 runs is 30th in baseball. You’re not gonna get away with that,” John Heyman said on MLB Now. “To me, they are the most disappointing team in baseball at this point.”
Analysts Adnan Virk, Jake Peavy, and John Heyman sat down on MLB Now to dissect the Mariners’ decline after they reached the 2025 ALCS. Last season, they blew a late-game lead in Game 7 of the ALCS and lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. They had finished at the top of the AL West with a 90-72 record. The script has flipped this season.
They are currently on a two-game losing streak and hold a 66-76 record. To finish at .500, they need to go 15-5 for the rest of the regular season, which again appears unlikely given their record. Currently, the Mariners have a 5.9% chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs.
However, according to Heyman, if their offense does not pick up, the Mariners are going nowhere. Moreover, the team’s performance changes vastly depending on the venue. At T-Mobile Park, the Mariners hold a 37-33 record, while on the road they have a disappointing 29-43 record.
Virk has also pointed out how Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, the two centerpieces of the Mariners’ offense, have underperformed this season. Last season, their combined WAR was 13.8, which has declined sharply in 2026. This year, the Raleigh-Rodriguez duo’s WAR is only 3.5, a difference of nearly 11 points.
Cal Raleigh has recorded 21 homers with 58 RBIs while hitting .176. Rodriguez, on the other hand, is hitting .242 and has registered 20 home runs and 61 RBIs so far. With this duo underperforming, Dominic Canzone and Randy Arozarena are carrying the Mariners’ offense. But they have clearly failed to do it alone, as the Mariners’ offense ranks last in the league.
Their biggest offseason addition, Brendan Donovan, has also been a letdown, as he has struggled to remain healthy all season. Donovan is currently on the 7-day IL, recovering from a concussion. So, it’s hardly a surprise that they have struggled this season.