How the Mariners are a top-5 AL team despite losing record eyesore

The Mariners currently represent an excellent test case for the saying that perception is reality. To some, they look like an underwhelming so-so team which is going nowhere. To others, they appear all but poised to take the AL by storm.

Starting with the negative perception, the Mariners sit second-bottom in the AL West as of Wednesday morning with a losing record, tied for the second-most losses in the AL as a whole. The offense hasn't been at their best overall so far in 2026, as evidenced by ranking 28th in batting average and 25th in OPS.

On the flip side, despite being 8-10 the Mariners still have the fifth-best run differential in the AL at +8, helped by ranking second in the majors with a 3.02 team ERA. And we tend to lean towards the more positive perception of the team, in part helped by the overall quality, or lack thereof, in the AL.

The NL has six teams with at least 10 wins. Meanwhile there are only two teams with 10-plus wins in the AL and it just feels like it's there for the taking. The question is, are the Mariners up to the job and do they want it enough?

Mariners just need to get out of their own way

The M's entered this season favored by plenty of experts to win the AL, but they have had one of their usual slow starts. This was accentuated more than usual by beginning 4-9, which was their poorest record through 13 games since 2011.

Fortunately the Astros then came to town and presented a golden opportunity to break out of this funk, with the Mariners proceeding to claim an emphatic four-game sweep. It certainly helped that the offense finally woke up, to bring the good vibes back.

Now yes, the 4-1 loss to the Padres on Tuesday night deflated fans a little bit, but it's just one game in what is still a young season. Either way, you get the sense the only thing holding the Mariners back from being the best team in the AL, is themselves.

Look, there's no denying the previous 1-5 road trip in Anaheim and Arlington was horrific, but it was the absolute worst version of the Mariners and we don't anticipate seeing that again. It was almost a perfect storm of everything going wrong that could.

Mariners Big 3 + Playoff Randy = Trouble for the rest of the AL

However, health permitting, the Mariners just weren't going to remain so offensively inept as they showed during those six games versus the Angels and Rangers. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and now Josh Naylor seem to have all woken up, while Randy Arozarena has turned into the 2020 playoff version of himself.

There are plenty of people who believe the Mariners missed a golden opportunity in 2024, when they wasted the best statistical rotation in the majors by not even making the playoffs. Well, as much as they say lightning doesn't strike twice, it sure seems as if things are aligning for them to do something special this season.

The reality is that homefield advantage is there for the taking, if the Mariners can find a way to start consistently playing up to their potential sooner than usual. As much as they did get closer than ever to a World Series berth last season, they could have easily claimed the top seed in the AL if they'd gotten their act together slightly earlier.

It really is up to the Mariners to put it all together finally, with the players themselves admitting before the season there's no acceptable excuse not to. At the very least the Mariners are a top five team in the AL, but this is the absolute minimum to accept, and in reality still not nearly enough. It's time to step up and prove themselves.

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