World Baseball Classic flops have only added to Mariners fans' spring angst

With their Cactus League record at 6-16, it would have been nice to have a distraction from the Seattle Mariners over the last few weeks. Something like, say, a triumphant showing by their many representatives in the World Baseball Classic.

But with the WBC winding down to Tuesday's finale between the USA and Venezuela, it's fair to say that the Mariner-ness of it all has been a bust.

The vibes obviously haven't been great. Nobody asked for the whole thing between Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena, and all anyone wants now is for it to freakin' end already. Then you have Miles Mastrobuoni getting hurt, and Julio Rodríguez feeling a Paul Skenes fastball on the wrist.

At least Julio got to have a happy ending for the Dominican Republic, doing his part in a 2-1 loss to USA in the semifinal by robbing Aaron Judge of a home run. It's therefore too bad that he also caught the same bug that somehow rendered every Mariners regular in the tournament deathly cold.

Mariners in the World Baseball Classic haven't exactly done the franchise proud

Along with Raleigh, Rodríguez and Arozarena, Josh Naylor and Dominic Canzone were the other members of the Mariners' starting lineup who signed up for the WBC. For anyone who wants those guys' almost-final damage, here it is:

• Total At-Bats: 75
• Total Hits: 12

That's a .160 average for a group that collectively hit .264 with a 134 wRC+ in 2025, and Julio and Canzone have the only home runs. Raleigh is the last hope for another, and his apparent swing issues may well result in USA manager Mark DeRosa choosing Will Smith as his starting catcher for the final.

The returns for the prominent Mariners relievers who took part in the tournament aren't great either.

Because he pitched in Venezuela's 4-2 win over Italy on Monday, Eduard Bazardo is likely done for the tournament. He pitched in four games and only allowed two hits and a run in 2.2 innings, but the one hit was a long home run by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that was a little too reminiscent of the worst moment of the Mariners' 2025 season.

For his part, Andrés Muñoz understandably seems disappointed that he didn't get to pitch any high-leverage innings for Mexico. He also gave up a run on two hits and two walks in 2.0 innings, so it wasn't his best work either.

The book is not yet closed on Gabe Speier, who may be needed out of a depleted USA bullpen on Tuesday. But DeRosa may have reservations, as the lefty has faced nine batters and given up two walks and two home runs.

Out of the 18 players the Mariners had involved in the WBC, arguably the only pride point is how second base prospect Michael Arroyo performed for Colombia. He opened eyes with his knack for contact quality, and he hit .308 in four games.

You take a breakout performance like that, but it's not what the World Baseball Classic was meant to be for the Mariners' fanbase. The hope was that it would be more like a victory lap after 2025, with the general implication was that bigger and better things were in store for 2026.

Instead, we're left to hope that Raleigh or Speier has a hero moment up his sleeve in the final. Otherwise, the WBC will go into the books as another chapter of a spring they're already wishing they could forget in Seattle.