3 Bold predictions for Mariners' in 2024 that will make you happy, and 2 that won't

1. The Cy Young Award will be won by a Mariner, but who?

Okay, we all know that the Mariners have one of, if not the best, pitching staff in all of baseball. Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert form the best 3-headed monster in all of baseball. While some people may not believe that, just check out the betting odds for the American League Cy Young Award. Do you see 3 players from the same team listed in the top 9?

A.L. Cy Young Betting odds via Fan Duel

Well, I only see one team with 3 players ranked inside the top 9: Your Seattle Mariners. Castillo is the heavy favorite and for a good reason. He finished 5th in CY Young voting last year, getting votes for the first time in his career. He may have even won the award had he not struggled in September. Castillo finished 2023 with a 14-9 record, with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. La Piedra is my pick to actually win the Cy Young Award.

But close on his heels is George Kirby. George earned a trip to his first All-Star game in 2023, posting a 13-10 record with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Should you venture on over to his Baseball Reference page, you will even see some black ink in his numbers. Numbers in bold mean they led the league in that statistical category, and if it is italic, that means he led all of baseball in that stat. Kirby led all of baseball in walks per 9 innings (0.9) and strikeout/walk ratio (9.05). He only walked 19 hitters in just over 190 innings!

Last but certainly not least is Logan Gilbert. Logan may not have any black ink on his baseball reference page, but he is just as good as any other pitcher listed as Cy Young favorites. He is about as steady and consistent as a pitcher can be, posting a 3.76 ERA over his career, with a FIP of just 3.67. He may give up a few more walks than Kirby does, but he does trikeout more than Kirby. Gilbert is averaging 8.9 strikeouts per 9 innings, and walking just 2.1 (1.7 in 2023).

With the recent news of 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole's injury, and questions surrounding him, all of the numbers odds for the top American League pitchers have gone up. Of that list above, there is only 1 pitchers who has won the Cy Young Award before. Corbin Burnes won the award in 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Burnes was traded from the Brewers to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this offseason, and now gets to pitch in the AL East.