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

As Spring Training begins to wind down, that can only mean one thing: OPENING DAY IS LESS THAN ONE WEEK AWAY! That means that the longest season in all of sports is set to begin, and with that comes predictions. Who will win the MVP? Who will win the World Series? Who will not even make the playoffs? Who knows! Opening Day is the one day where every fan dreams of their team winning it all. Everybody is 0-0, and everybody has a chance.

The drama of the offseason is now behind us, and the time for the players and coaches to put in the work is now. The front office did a great job of reshaping this roster, especially with the budget constraints placed upon them by ownership. You have to give credit to Jerry Dipoto and his staff for addressing some serious needs for this team. You might not like how they did it, but they made this team better than it was in 2023.

Just about every baseball website, podcast, or Twitter account will be posting their team predictions in the coming days, if they have not posted them already. SoDo Mojo is no different. But today, I am going to give you five BOLD predictions for the Mariners in 2024. 3 good predictions, and 2 not-so-good predictions.

While these predictions will be somewhat realistic, I wanted to have fun with them, at least the good ones. No, one of the predictions is not the Mariners winning the World Series, or even making the World Series. Sure, saying that would be a bold statement, but that is way too easy. Without further ado, here are my 5 bold predictions for the Mariners in 2024!

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.

2. Two of the five starting pitchers will miss significant time on the Injured List

Okay, I know that does not sound good at all. I am not trying to put negative thoughts into the universe here, but I am trying to be realistic. Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo all combined to make 139 out of 162 starts, roughly 85% of the total games played. That is an insane amount of starts coming from just 5 pitchers. How realistic is it to expect the same results in 2024?

It seems like pitchers are going down with serious injuries more frequently, and the Mariners were a bit lucky in that department in 2023. But even the Mariners couldn't escape the injury bug. Robbie Ray, the team's highest paid player, made just one start for the Mariners before needing elbow surgery and missed the rest of the season. Chris Flexen filled in but strggled, and was later designated for assignment.

Marco Gonzales, who rarely missed time at all, made just 10 starts for the Mariners in 2023. He underwent season-ending surgery to repair a nerve issue in his left forearm. With both Ray and Gonzales out, the Mariners had to rely on a few rookies: Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Emerson Hancock. Miller and Woo finished out the season in the rotation, while Hancock made just 3 starts before going down with an injury of his own.

Shoot, the Mariners are already dealing with injuries in their bullpen. Matt Brash, Gregory Santos, and Jackson Kowar are all dealing with arm injuries. Brash seems like he avoided a major injury, and Santos could be back in late April-May. Kowar needed elbow surgery, and he is already out for the season. At least they were able to sign Ryne Stanek.

Sometimes, teams have to rely on luck to make it healthy all the way through a 162-game season. But injuries can happen to anybody, no matter who you are. Mega-star Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery late last season, and will not pitch in 2024. Gerrit Cole, the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, has an elbow injury that may require surgery. Both Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom will be out until July with injuries of their own. These things can happen, you just have to hope that the Mariners have enough depth to make it through.

3. Julio Rodriguez will win the MVP

Maybe this is not as hot of a take to Mariners fans, but a Mariner winning an MVP? That has not happened since Ichiro did it in his rookie campaign in 2001... and Julio Rodriguez may just be the man to do it. The 23-year-old is already off to an amazing career and is about to start year 3.

In his first two seasons as a big leaguer, Julio has finished 7th and 4th in MVP voting. Even if Julio started his 2023 season as hot as his second half of 2023, He probably only finishes second in MVP voting, behind Shohei Ohtani. The good news for Julio is that Ohtani is not in the National League after signing the biggest contract in American sports history with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Julio has been an All-Star in both of his big league seasons and has even won two Silver Slugger Awards as well. J-Rod is the star Mariners fans have wanted since the days of Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, and Ichiro. People have even put his career on the same trajectory as Ken Griffey Jr. I do not want to put that much pressure on him, but his stats are no joke.

With Ohtani now in the National League, who can beat Julio for that MVP? Corey Seager and Marcus Semien finished ahead of Julio in votes in 2023, and guys like Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., and any of the Orioles young guys could win it easily. So, what would Julio have to do to edge those guys out?

I think Julio Rodriguez has a 40/40 season ahead of him. 40 home runs, and 40 stolen bases. Should he hit .300 or close to that, and join the 40/40 club, he would win the award. No questions asked. The 2023 National League MVP went to Ronald Acuna Jr., where he hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases. Can Julio do that? Sure he could, though I am not confident enough in the coaching staff letting Julio steal that many times. Julio is every bit as talented as Acuna, and if he shows that to the world in 2024, He will win the MVP for sure.

5. Mitch Haniger and Mitch Garver will combine to hit 50+ Home Runs

Some of you may think that this is my boldest take, and you may be right. Haniger and Garver have not shown that they can make it through a full season in a while. But I seriously think that if they did, they could turn this team's offense into something special. One of them will be the Designated Hitter night in and out, and hopefully, that helps keep them healthy.

Old friend Mitch Haniger was acquired earlier this offseason in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. He spent the 2017-2022 seasons with the Mariners, before leaving in free agency to sign with the Giants. Haniger spent most of the season on the injured list, and was not all that effective when he was actually playing. To say that he struggled in San Francisco would be an understatement. That was probably the reason the Giants were okay with dealing him back to Seattle.

Mitch Garver on the other hand, signed as a free agent in the offseason. He is fresh off winning the World Series with the Texas Rangers and hit 19 home runs and drove in 50 in just 87 games. Like Haniger, Garver spent half of the season on the injured list. But he was around for the Rangers playoff run and played all throughout the playoffs.

Both Haniger and Garver have shown that they posess tremendous power skills, and both will be on display this season. THey have made it through Spring Training healthy so far, and both look to be in the Opening Day lineup. SHould they stay healthy for most of the season, there is no reason to think that they can't combine for 50+ home runs. That number may even be low if both players play in 140 games each.

As always, Go Mariners!