Vitamin SEA: A Much Needed Break
The All-Star Break could not have come soon enough
The All-Star Break is here, thank God.
I’m not a superstitious man (usually), but maybe if I write back-to-back negative articles then the Mariners will start playing better. At the break, there will be a lot of conversation about the trade deadline and whether any other Mariners should have made the All-Star team. There are many discussion points while every Mariners fan scrambles to find what could fix this poor baseball team. So allow me to take this time while we have a few days off from Mariners baseball to give my two cents on every point of contention in the Mariners fanbase right now.
All-Stars:
Logan Gilbert was robbed at gunpoint. He has had a better season than Michael Wacha in every possible way, with a better ERA, ERA+, strikeouts, walk rate, walk %, WAR, FIP, WHIP, and record. And it’s not like the Royals needed to have Wacha make it to be their only All-Star, they have Bobby Witt Jr. There is no reason for Logan Gilbert to not be an All-Star. Grr.
Julio Rodriguez had a decent case also, but his injury and a pretty stacked category makes this not an egregious snub. It’s more important for Julio to focus on shifting into second half Julio, which the team is in desperate need of.
Trade Deadline:
The Mariners need a right-handed bat and a bullpen arm. If they have to trade a starter to get them, that’s ok. Luis Castillo feels like the clear name on the chopping block, but his larger contract and regression this year would make him a less desirable trade candidate than the other shiny names in the rotation.
For a bullpen arm I want Garrett Whitlock from Boston. The Red Sox aren’t having as bad a time as they were earlier in the year, but I think that they can be convinced to sell still. Chapman is off the table because of the Mariners’ zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence, which is great. Whitlock has been on fire recently, and his high-leverage arm is a need, at least to get rid of the Michael Rucker experiment. There has been a lot of stress in the Mariners bullpen, and a rock-solid arm like Whitlock can keep it all together.
Bats are harder, as there are not many options for a good right-handed hitter, preferably an outfielder. The top option on the market right now looks like Taylor Ward, who is not having the massive season he did last year, but maybe just needs out of Baltimore. Victor Robles, no matter how much I like him, doesn’t strike me as the answer to the offensive struggles, and Ward’s power can give the Mariners a chance against lefties. Wilson Contreras is another name I’ve heard floated around, and while his bat has been great this season, a 1B/DH is not what the team needs right now to compete with Josh Naylor and Dom Canzone. Dan Wilson has enough on his plate without having to deal with splitting those guys’ ABs. Additionally, Brendan Donovan is probably coming back at some point, so the infield is going to be crowded enough as it is.
The Rest of the Season:
The last two times that the Mariners made the playoffs, it came with a massive win streak. In 2022, it was 14 wins in a row leading up to the All-Star break. Last year, it was 10 wins in a row and 17 of 18 in September to close out the division. I don’t want to be a downer, but if the only way for the modern Mariners to make the playoffs is to catch fire and have one of the best months in franchise history, my confidence is wavering. This is not a Mariners team that has shown the resilience or the clutch factor of either the 2022 or the 2025 team. The 2022 team had 40 comeback wins, the 2025 team had 43. This season’s team has 16 so far, on pace for around 30. Not to mention this season has a distinct lack of a 60 HR season from Cal Raleigh. I don’t know if anyone noticed that.
There is good news, however. The AL West sucks. Like really sucks. The Rangers currently lead the division at a commanding record of 49-47, with the Mariners only 1.5 games back. 3.5 months of mediocre baseball has left the Mariners in a prime position to secure a playoff spot if they can only start playing maybe 20-25% better baseball.
If the always good rotation holds on and Cal Raleigh plays anywhere near the level that everyone knows he can, the Mariners can make the playoffs for the third time in five years (and in my life). But don’t hold your breath for a win streak like last time.
Go M’s,
Henry “Distracted by the World Cup” Neiman
A healthy Brendan Donovan will help too.