Mariners are getting an unmistakable sign that they play in MLB's worst division

Wednesday's 11-1 annihilation by the Pirates marked the official halfway point of the 2026 regular season for the Mariners. In many ways, their 41-40 record is in keeping with what a frustrating, injury-prone and mediocre campaign it's been so far in Seattle. And yet they find themselves leading the AL West, which alludes to just how poor the division is as a whole.

Consider that the Mariners have scored no more than three runs in any of their previous 10 games. However, despite only going 4-6 in that time, they've somehow seen their division lead grow from 2.0 to 2.5 games. Again though, this alludes to the overall underwhelming state of the AL West, which is reflected in the division winning percentages as of Thursday morning:

NL Central: .534
NL East: .521
AL East: .508
NL West: .500
AL Central: .469
AL West: .469

Technically, you can contend the AL West is 'only' tied for the worst division in the majors. However, it's worth noting the AL Central has two teams with better records than the Mariners, in the White Sox and Guardians. Irrespective, the M's current position is THE ultimate silver lining of the season so far.

Time for the 'Big 3' to step up their collective game and help the Mariners make franchise history

Look, as we mentioned up top, the Mariners have endured a ridiculous amount of injuries this season to key personnel. Even now, they're still waiting for the return of the likes of Brendan Donovan, Matt Brash and Carlos Vargas, who should all help improve the team's roster strength. Still, you can't blame it all on injuries, and the M's are waiting for Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor to collectively return to last season's form.

This is not to suggest the Mariners can't still have a special season. Certainly the potential is there, once the rest of the injured players return and pending the "Big 3" getting their act together. In addition, it helps that the American League as a whole is underwhelming, highlighted by the Mariners having the second-best run differential among all 15 teams at just +8.

Heading into the 2026 season, it was all set up to be a special one for a Mariners team looking for their first ever World Series berth. Thanks to the state of the AL West specifically, the path is still there if they're willing to start playing with an increased sense of urgency.

For goodness sake, it took the Mariners 24 years to win the AL West after 2001 and now they have the chance to win it two seasons on the run for the first time in franchise history. That's something you have to grab onto, because no one will care how poor the division was, decades from now. Just be thankful that the Astros are not still the Astros.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Time for the 'Big 3' to step up their collective game and help the Mariners make franchise history

Schedule