Gloomy end of AL West race only reinforces how much Mariners screwed up 2026

The AL West is officially the worst division in baseball, and somehow, it just keeps getting worse. On Friday, it even crossed into never before seen territory for Major League Baseball. Both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers sit at 80-81 heading into their season finales on Sunday. That means whoever finishes on top of the AL West will do so with a .500 record, or maybe even worse.

While that's definitely not good news for the division, its makes the Mariners' recent elimination even more painful. Seattle didn't need to perform at the highest level to make it to October baseball. They didn't even need to dominate the division or put on an overly impressive September. They could've just done a little bit better.

Instead, they are sitting 75-86, eliminated and heading into an offseason that could bring plenty of changes and restructuring.

Throughout September, the AL West race has looked less like a competition over who wants it the most and more like a competition over who wants it the least. A late-season surge from Seattle might have been enough to put the Mariners right back into the conversation. Instead, they are going to watch someone else win a division that was and still is open for the taking.

How did the AL West go so wrong in 2026?

The Astros and Rangers are tied, with Houston holding the tiebreaker. Texas will need to finish the weekend with one more win than Houston to take the division. The Rangers face the Minnesota Twins, while the Astros take on the Athletics. But, unfortunately, neither team really looks like they are headed confidently toward the postseason. Houston, for example, has lost 12 of their last 19 games, while also dealing with a serious number of injuries. Meanwhile, the Rangers suffered a recent 10-2 loss with starting pitcher Jacob DeGrom matching a career-high by allowing 8 earned runs.

The Mariners are already eliminated, yet they're watching as two teams stumble toward a division title that Seattle had every chance to claim.

Prior to this season, the closest a full-season division champion had come to finishing .500 was the San Diego Padres in 2005, who went 82-80. Now, the AL West is about to rewrite that record.

The Mariners entered 2026 coming off such a successful season. Instead of building on that momentum they are one of baseball's biggest disappointments. What's even more frustrating is that the division has seemed to give Seattle plenty of chances. The Astros are battered, and the Rangers are struggling. Neither team has pulled ahead as a dominant leader and the division is practically begging someone to take control of it. Something the Mariners weren't able to do.

If the Mariners had played their best baseball, fought until the end, and simply been beaten by a better team, M's fans could probably live with that. Instead, it feels like Seattle surrendered its opportunity before anyone could take it away.

The AL West was the Mariners' division to lose, and, even now, it is still winnable. Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem like anyone actually wants to win the AL West this year.

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