SeaSide Thoughts: Mariners split the week for Mom!

After an impressive run where the Mariners won six straight series, with a few coming against teams with legitimate championship aspirations, the M’s were brought back down to earth up in the Great North.

After a disappointing end to their series win streak, Seattle came home and got back to their winning ways, taking two out of three from the Oakland A’s. Not only did Seattle widen their gap on the surprisingly competitive A’s, but they also were able to take advantage of a terrible sweep the Colorado Rockies just handed the Rangers. As we head past Mother's Day, Seattle is a flawed team, but also a first-place team with a lot of potential.

SeaSide Thoughts: Week 7

Minnesota isn't messing around 

The Minnesota Twins, winners of 17 of their last 20, have the look of an AL title contender. In their series victory over the Mariners, the Twins outscored the M’s 26-15, and likely would have swept Seattle if not for a late Cal Raleigh grand slam, and some more Josh Rojas heroics to stave off a four game sweep.

Since their hot streak, they have roared back into a competitive AL Central race, have an offense that has five players who are posting an OPS+ above 117, and a decent rotation that has a dominant bullpen to carry the load.

The Twins had some players that I was very interested in trying to poach all winter and this summer, but they now look more like a team Seattle could face in October, than a deadline trade partner.

Oakland isn't good, but they have some pieces 

While I don't expect Seattle to go 12-1 against the Athletics this season, it was another good series win against a divisional opponent. With the win, the Mariners now move to 6-3 against the AL West, and have not played the lowly Mike Trout-less Angels.

It will take more blue-chip talent for the A’s to climb out of the mess their ownership has put them in, but that doesn't mean the cupboard is empty. On the lineup side, Abraham Toro is having his best season yet and may turn into a valuable depth piece for a contender at the deadline. 

The real star though, has been Brent Rooker. After making his first all-star game last season, the twenty-nine-year-old OF/DH has only gotten better in 2024. Through 30 games, Rooker is slashing .292/.380/1.012 with 10 home runs and six doubles. Rooker, who has shown Seattle some love, was an absolute menace during the three-game series and looks to be a real problem going forward. 

He provides some of that “light-tower” power that is needed to overcome whatever limitations T-Mobile Park brings, and he's under contract through 2027. While he would come at a massive cost with trade assets, he is also arbitration eligible after the season, which could begin the motivation by Oakland to move him. I don't expect a deal to get done this summer, but he's a name to watch over the next two years.