Mariners' 2027 schedule release pulls attention to end-of-season minefield

The 2027 MLB season might as well be another galaxy, and a theoretical one at that. The first matter at hand is getting the Seattle Mariners to shape up and play better in the second half of 2026. The second matter at hand is hoping there even is a 2027 season.

And yet, life goes on and schedules must inevitably be dropped. And so it was on Thursday afternoon, when MLB revealed 162-game schedules for every team in MLB. Here's Seattle's:

The only honest hot take on a new schedule is that hot takes on new schedules are overrated. Especially for this current era of baseball, where the balanced schedule means every team plays every team. The luck of the draw is less chaotic.

This said, what the actual [bleep] is with the Mariners' schedule next September?

The 2027 schedule will test the Mariners on the road and at home in September

Of the 23 games they'll play in the final month of 2027, 15 will be on the road. That's cringe-inducing stuff given that this club hasn't had a winning record away from T-Mobile Park since 2023. And nine of those 15 games are part of a three-city road trip through the East Coast, with three each against the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. Those three are only ostensible contenders here in 2026, but there are better-than-decent odds that each will be for real next year.

And it doesn't get better after that trip is over! The Mariners will have to make a cross-country flight on September 12 with no off day before they start a seven-game homestand on September 13, and against the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays, no less. Once again, we're talking two likely contenders.

Then comes the soft landing against the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics to conclude the season, but even that "soft" landing is all on the road. And the Athletics, at least, could pose a problem. Nobody likes seeing Nick Kurtz, and he may have additional company on offense if 2026 first-rounder Drew Burress makes a similarly quick rise to the majors.

Let's just hope there even is a 2027 season for the Mariners to play out

As with anything concerning next season, the elephant in the room is how much (if any) of it will even happen. Labor strife was brewing for years before 2026, and now it's not in the background anymore as MLB and the MLBPA exchange what feel like increasingly charged proposals for the next CBA.

One hopes that cooler, wiser heads will prevail and no games will have to be canceled. For all the very real problems baseball has right now, the league also has a lot going for it. Namely, increased interest and enthusiasm from fans and, despite all expectations to the contrary, a healthy amount of competitive balance.

For now, the Mariners can only control what they can control as they await the start of the second half of this season. The goal remains nothing less than getting to the World Series. Next year and every year after it can wait.

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