3 moments that may have cost the Mariners a chance at the 2024 postseason

A roller coaster season that carried a ton of expectations is winding down and the odds of making the playoffs look grim at best. After a tough series loss against the Yankees and squandering a sweep of the Texas Rangers, the Mariners will need to really capitalize over their final six games against the Astros and A's, while getting some help, if they hope to play baseball in October.

While the season as a whole can be summarized and credited to a struggling offense, there were a lot of factors that played a role in this team blowing one of the largest division leads (a 10-game lead on June 18) in recent memory.

Specifically, though, we can narrow down three moments that will loom larger than the rest if the M's fail to make the postseason.

Mariners blow another huge lead against the Kansas City Royals

If there was any game throughout this year that was the epitome of the Seattle Mariners 2024 season, it came on June 7 when the Mariners squared off against the Kansas City Royals. It's not representative of the typical dominant pitching and struggling offense. It was actually rather contrary, but the roller coaster that ensued really defined it.

A first inning that saw the Mariners plate seven runs, including three extra-base hits and three free bases set Bryce Miller up for the most run support a Mariners pitcher would see all year. Things looked great as Miller coasted through three scoreless. All good, right? Nope. Four runs in the fourth inning, a three-run sixth, and a comeback in the ninth cost the Mariners what seemed like the easiest win they'd have all year.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of this loss was the execution of the bullpen by former Mariners manager, Scott Servais, who was eventually fired amid the team's slide. His choice to roll with Ryne Stanek ultimately cost them the game. After throwing the night before, this would mark back-to-back outings for the veteran. The confusing part was that Seattle's star closer, Andres Munoz, was completely fresh, having not made an appearance since Tuesday, June 4.

The Mariners sat five games ahead in the AL West after this loss, and even though it was an emotional one, they would still go on to take a commanding lead over the Astros and other division rivals. Just 10 days later, their place atop the AL West climbed to 10 games and it seemed like this team was headed for American League dominance.

Looking back, it seems like this was more of a "calm before the storm" type of situation. Just a month later, the Mariners rolled into the All-Star break with just a one-game lead; a stretch where Seattle limped to an 8-15 record while the Astros surged with a 17-6 record.

One move short...as always

In one of the most pivotal offseasons in recent memory, Jerry Dipoto had no shame in shaking up this roster like we have never seen before. The offense had new starters in every position except catcher, shortstop and centerfield.

He had to get extremely creative in building a competent offense with what sounded like a last-minute budget cut from Mariners ownership. Like the offseason before, it seemed like the Mariners offense had improved, but many fans were hoping and expecting just one more move — one that would push this team over the top and make them a true World Series contender.

As the 2024 season got underway, it was evident that this offense wasn't going to cut it. The additions of Jorge Polanco, Luis Urias, Mitch Haniger and Mitch Garver were all complete duds, while Luke Raley added an up-and-down slugger (though he has proven to be one of their better bats).

As the trade deadline approached, it seemed like the team needed to go and get a few bats: a middle-of-the-order outfielder, a solid first baseman, and a viable third baseman. Dipoto added Arozarena and Justin Turner before stating that the offense was "meaningfully better than we were a week ago." While that may have been true on paper, they were still relying on Josh Rojas at third base, a struggling Jorge Polanco, and a DH grouping of Garver and Haniger.

It quickly became obvious that this offense wasn't "meaningfully better" as the month of August was quite literally the same as the previous 110 games. The offense was still bottom 10 in runs per game. Their 98 wRC+ in August put them behind teams like the Tigers, Nationals, Marlins, and right there with the Pirates. Unacceptable.

The additions of Arozarena and Turner were solid as both have been key contributors down the stretch, but just like the previous trade deadlines and offseasons, they were one or two moves short of really getting to where they need to be, and it likely cost them a chance at a postseason run.