The Mariners’ Hitting Plan: Boosting Lineup With Three Key…
The World Series is over, which means Seattle Mariners fans can start gearing up for the hot stove.
There’s one key piece the Mariners are missing in their bullpen
Once the offseason officially begins five days after the World Series, there’s a pretty clear area where the M’s should be focused to make improvements, and it’s the same as usual: the offense.
Seattle averaged 4.17 runs per game in 2024, which ranked 21st in MLB, as well as 22nd in team OPS at .687. If those rankings are a little higher than you expected, there’s a couple of reasons for that. First, the Mariners led all of baseball with 1,625 strikeouts at the plate, which was a big source of frustration throughout the year. And secondly, the overall offensive numbers were helped by a September where Seattle actually ranked third in runs scored (5.15 per game) and team OPS (.780).
On the one hand, that last month of production signals a potential move in the right direction for Seattle’s lineup. But finding a lineup that can perform in all months of the season remains a challenge – one that could perhaps be answered through free agency.
Alright, I know what you’re probably saying right now. Signing hitters in free agency hasn’t been a strong suit of the Mariners during president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s tenure in Seattle. That’s probably a result of multiple factors, be it money based, organizational philosophy, or the likelihood that it’s near impossible to convince hitters with multiple suitors to willingly choose to call baseball’s most offense-suppressing ballpark their home. But the offseason is young, and the Mariners have landed big free agents in the past such as Robbie Ray (when he was coming off a Cy Young Award season), slugger Nelson Cruz or perennial All-Star Robinson Canó. Why not dream big, even if just for now?
