AL West rival Astros falling apart might be best part of Mariners' spring training

It's fair to say that since the Houston Astros joined the AL West in 2013, they've been the bane of the Seattle Mariners' existence. With nine playoff appearances, seven division titles, four World Series berths and two championships, the Astros have easily enjoyed more success.

Sure the Mariners turned a corner in 2021 and started enjoying some success themselves, but it was only last season when they finally vanquished the beast and won their first AL West title since 2001. The Astros failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, with many wondering if Houston's dynasty was finally over.

This remains to be seen, just because the Astros still went 87-75 last season, to join the Mariners as two of just four Major League teams to win 85-plus games every year since 2021. Still, as the M's endure a horrendous spring training which has them at the bottom of the Cactus League standings, perhaps the biggest saving grace is that their Texan rivals are also having a terrible time in Florida.

Injury nightmare from last season is back to haunt the Astros

For a start, as per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, six-time All-Star Josh Hader will begin the 2026 campaign on the injured list with biceps tendinitis, which was diagnosed at the beginning of February. This is a big blow to the Astros, who were also without their main closer for the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain.

Any mention of injuries must surely give the Astros and their fans shuddering flashbacks, given just how ravaged they were in this area last season. As such, recent news surrounding their All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña isn't going to do much to lighten the mood in the clubhouse either.

Peña is coming off a career year which also saw him finish 10th in AL MVP voting, but suffered a fractured tip on his right ring finger in early March during an exhibition game for Team Dominican Republic. As per McTaggart, he's set to be reevaluated sometime this coming week, and his availability for Opening Day is now very much up in the air.

Turning to the playing field, the Astros have struggled to put together much offense so far in spring, with the third-fewest runs among all 30 MLB teams. Heading into Monday slate of games Jose Altuve is only batting .107, Christian Walker is hitting just .115 and Yainer Diaz is only at .095.

Now is the time for the Mariners to pounce on their long-time nemesis

We appreciate there's some hypocrisy in pointing this out just because of the Mariners' issues in stopping runs being scored, with them ranking dead last in spring training in this area. Still, when three of your main rival's best players are struggling at the plate, you're not going to exactly be disappointed by this turn of events.

It's still way too soon to proclaim the Astros are on the decline, just because they still came within one game of making the playoffs despite all the injuries that compromised them last season. The talent was clearly still there, exemplified by only two members of their rotation making more than 14 starts, but still finishing third in the majors with 70 quality outings.

At the same time, the Astros have lost one of those two durable starters in two-time Framber Valdez, with the two-time All-Star signing a three-year, $115 million deal to join the Detroit Tigers. And in general there's as much uncertainty surrounding this organization as at any point in the last decade.

Again, the Mariners have had their own issues during spring training, but just based on overall talent they have a stronger roster than the Astros, along with a far superior farm system which bodes well for the future. The M's have had the head-to-head edge in each of the past three seasons and now it's a case of turning that screw while their main rivals are seemingly down, but still not quite out.