The upcoming homestand could make or break the 2021 Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are in a fantastic spot given the circumstances. Some would even say that the Mariners are completely blowing expectations out of the water as they sit in third place with a 51-45 record. The M’s just split the two-game series against the Colorado Rockies and are returning home without a day off.

The team will now play seven days in a row and if you include the game against the Rockies, that is nine straight games without a day off. Nine straight is hard enough, but the Seattle Mariners also have to play four against the Athletics, and three against the Astros.

Why this homestand is the BIGGEST of the 2021 season

The Mariners are in an interesting spot. The team is sort of in contention, but they could also be easily knocked out with a bad stretch of games. I know that wasn’t a very detailed explanation, but that’s the situation the M’s are in.

It doesn’t entirely make sense for Jerry Dipoto to go “all in” and trade away all of our top prospects, but it also doesn’t entirely make sense for the Seattle Mariners to do nothing. If we had to choose one or the other, I would be content with the latter.

With that being said, how we approach the trade deadline could ultimately depend on how we come out of this homestand. Do we gain some momentum on the AL West and AL Wild Card, or do we take a step back?

What is great about this homestand is the Seattle Mariners get to create their own destiny. The Mariners play the top two teams in the AL West and with a couple of series wins, the M’s may even be able to leapfrog the Athletics who are 55-42.

After the Athletics play four in Seattle, they head to Slam Diego for two games and then head to Los Angeles to face Shohei Ohtani to finish July.

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What happens if the Seattle Mariners win the series against the Oakland Athletics?

If the Mariners are able to take the series from the A’s and even sweep them (fingers crossed), Jerry Dipoto will likely be calling other teams to acquire an upgrade. We may see a new veteran pitcher in town or a right-handed second baseman.

But until we know the outcome of the series against the Athletics, I highly doubt the Seattle Mariners will be finalizing any deals.

What happens if the Seattle Mariners lose the series against the Oakland Athletics?

If the M’s lose the series, I think Mitch Haniger’s name would go all over the news. Haniger has been fantastic and other teams are certainly interested in acquiring him. I am sure Jerry Dipoto wants to keep Haniger but if we put ourselves in an unfavorable situation to make the playoffs this week, he may be flying out.

The same could be said for our elite bullpen crew: Kendall Graveman, Paul Sewald, and Drew Steckenrider. All three of them have been great and could get the team a couple of good prospects.

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To put it all together, this homestand is HUGE for the Seattle Mariners and it could make or break the team. It would decide whether Jerry Dipoto is a buyer or seller at the deadline and whether the Mariners have a chance at the playoffs or not.