The Mariners are coming for the Astros in 2023

The Seattle Mariners ended the 2022 season making the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. Going into the offseason, there have been a lot of questions, but also some clear needs that the team has. The team most likely has Mitch Haniger and Adam Frazier leaving to join another club, and Carlos Santana has signed with the Pirates already.

While the M’s have traded for Teoscar Hernandez of the Blue Jays, as well as Kolten Wong from the Brewers, there are still questions…like who fills the Left Field position.

The Trades are starting, and more are likely to come for the Mariners

Seattle could turn to Jesse Winker, who struggled mightily in his debut season with the Mariners, or they could turn to Jarred Kelenic, who has not been able to find his sure footing in his young MLB career.

They could do a mixture of both, of course, as well as throwing in Dylan Moore. I believe that another signing of someone like Brandon Nimmo would serve the team tremendously, and help to push them over the edge as a successful team.

I feel like the positions of Center Field, Right Field, Shortstop, First Base, Third Base, and Catcher are all pretty much locks. Left Field is the big remaining question mark, and likely DH.

While the Mariners had a great year in 2022 with ending the drought and making the postseason, the goal is to win the World Series. I know this is not the most accurate ranking system, but MLB.com has Seattle at 4th in the AL behind the Astros, Yankees, and Blue Jays in their early power rankings for the 2023 season.

I agree with that ranking as things stand at the moment. The Astros won the World Series and you could argue immediately got better by signing Jose Abreu to a FA deal. Aside from them, I believe that throughout the rest of the offseason, the other 3 teams will get worse and the Mariners will get better.

I think the Astros will lose Verlander to another team, the Yankees will lose Aaron Judge, and the Blue Jays have already traded one of their best hitters in Teoscar Hernandez.
I believe that the rest of this offseason will prove crucial for the Seattle Mariners. There are holes to fill, but there are these three teams especially that we need to be looking out for.

There is money to be spent, and moves to be made by Jerry Dipoto and company in the coming weeks and months. I believe that our rotation is solid and will carry us again in 2023. If we see an upgrade in our starting LF and 2B, we become a much better and more well-rounded team to compete in 2023. The Astros are our biggest competition, and this is the time to buckle down, make the right moves, and beat the Astros.