First turn through Mariners rotation has it feeling like 2024 all over again

Even though last season was arguably the best in franchise history, there was still an element of "What if?" after the Mariners fell eight outs short of a first World Series berth. Perhaps the biggest one was wondering what could have happened if they'd had the 2024 version of their rotation, as opposed to the injury-riddled equivalent which labored through last year?

Well, if the early returns from this season are anything to go by, we might be about to find out, because the Mariners rotation is already showing signs of returning to their 2024 vintage. And when paired with a more well-rounded lineup and deeper bullpen, you realize why they're one of the favorites to win it all this season.

An alternate reality where Emerson Hancock and Logan Gilbert swapped places with their productivity

What stands out on an individual level is that theoretical temporary starter Emerson Hancock had the best performance out of the rotation in their first go-round of 2026. He only allowed two base runners via a walk and hit by pitch during his dominant prime-time outing on Sunday versus the Guardians, as he also set a new career high with nine strikeouts.

As a result, Hancock became just the second pitcher in franchise history to produce nine-plus Ks without allowing a hit, joining Félix Hernández who had 12 during his perfect game against the Rays back in 2012. Certainly this was a complete contrast to his first start last year, when he allowed seven hits and six earned runs in just 0.2 innings against the Tigers in the worst outing of his career.

The other standout performance by the quintet came from Luis Castillo on Monday against the Yankees, when they needed it most with runs in short supply. He rolled back the years as he held Aaron Judge and the rest of a potent lineup in check, only allowing two hits and two walks over six shutout innings.

Castillo also reached an impressive landmark by recording his 1,500 career strikeout, with the added satisfaction for Mariners fans that it came against Judge in the sixth inning. The three-time All-Star has usually fared well versus the Bronx Bombers, with a 2.43 ERA in eight career starts against them.

In all, this is just the second time in franchise history that Mariners starters have produced quality starts with six-plus strikeouts in four of the first five games in the season, with the previous time being in 2014. And in fairness to Logan Gilbert, while he was the one exception he had a pretty decent outing himself on Opening Day, save for most crucially the bad pitch on his cutter which gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth.

Health will be key to the Mariners rotation repeating their 2024 success

The Mariners rotation was absolutely lights-out in 2024, as they were the best in the majors in a whole host of categories including quality starts, ERA, fewest walks, WHIP and batting average. And with a 1.84 ERA, 38 strikeouts and just six walks over 29.1 innings through five games, it sure feels like they are primed to repeat a similar level of success this season.

Of course we appreciate it's extremely early to be making any proclamations as such, but clearly key to any chance of sustained success will be good health. Two seasons ago the Mariners' main five starters only missed a combined 13 outings though injuries, as opposed to 34 last year when only Castillo was an ever-present.

On this point, we appreciate the Mariners are technically already a man down, with Bryce Miller on the injured list to start the season and not expected back for around a month. However, if Hancock can be steady during this time then the M's should be just fine, with Cooper Criswell another potential option if needed.

Overall, we understand critics will claim it's extremely unlikely for the Mariners to catch lightning in a bottle and have the best rotation in the majors for the second time in three seasons. At the same time, their collective ceiling and previous success indicates that if anyone's capable of doing it then it is them, and this should scare the rest of Major League Baseball.