Mariners must already be circling a major lineup need with 2026 season slipping away

Mathematically, Seattle is still in the running for a postseason spot but at this point, it will take a miracle to get back in the picture. Now 10 games below .500, the Mariners are simply waiting to be mathematically eliminated before they officially close the book on 2026.

In the meantime, they've already turned their focus to 2027 with recent call-ups and if there's any silver lining to this year, it has been highlighting the weaknesses of the current roster. Pitching has surprisingly become a point of improvement for the Mariners but as per usual, the offense will likely take center stage for the organization this offseason.

Seattle should be in search of a middle-of-the-order bat this winter

The Mariners rank dead last in MLB for runs scored this year (569) and part of that is because of a lack of power in the lineup. The problem isn't necessarily the lack of home runs — the Mariners have hit 163 this season (17th in MLB). Instead, the issue seems to be a lack of everything else. The team ranks last in batting average (.229), 25th in on-base percentage (.310), 28th in slugging percentage (.374), and 23rd in OPS with runners in scoring position (.707). In other words, not only are they not getting a lot of scoring opportunities, they're failing to capitalize when given a chance.

Significant offensive regression from Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez have exacerbated this issue and although Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone have done their best to make up for lost ground, it hasn't been enough. To rub salt in the wound, Arozarena will be headed for free agency this offseason and is already slated to be one of the hottest assets on the market. Given the lack of alternative options, it'd be unsurprising to see Seattle quickly outbid for his services.

Aside from Arozarena, the Mariners could explore signing the likes of Seiya Suzuki or even Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted this winter, or pursue an aggressive trade. Seattle still has a strong farm system which is full of big-league ready talent, all of which could be used as bargaining chips for lucrative targets. It's not clear which players will be marked as available this winter but ambitiously, the Mariners could ask about players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Elly De La Cruz.

The team's run to the ALCS in 2025 was supposed to be the start of an encouraging stretch of playoff appearances but Seattle has quickly fallen back into its old ways. Though they've spent this decade watching postseason games far more often than participating in them, at least they've consistently won more games than they lost in years past. Now that they're on track to finish below .500 for the first time since 2019, it's clearly time for some big changes.

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