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3 Takes: Big Seattle Mariners questions halfway through season

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3 Takes: Big Seattle Mariners questions halfway through season


The Seattle Mariners hit the midway mark of the season earlier this week, which makes it the perfect time to reflect on the first half and look ahead to the next second half.

Watch: Mariners prospect slugs four homers during historic night

As the Mariners sit atop the AL West at 46-37, how do you evaluate their performance over the first three months? What moves should they make at the trade deadline? And how will they ultimately fare the rest of the way?

SeattleSports.com writers Brent Stecker, Zac Hereth and Cameron Van Til give their thoughts on those questions and more.

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Checking in on the Seattle Mariners

1. What grade would you give the Mariners’ first half of the season?

Brent Stecker: Here’s how I’m going to look at it. Forget about everything you’ve seen thus far this season. You don’t know that the Seattle Mariners had a 10-game lead before the last road trip. You don’t know the ins and outs of the offensive struggles. All you know is that through 83 games, the Mariners lead the AL West by 4 1/2. Feels pretty good, right? I’d rate that feeling an A-minus. Could be better. And when you do factor in other things like the aforementioned 10-game lead and how Houston and Texas left the gate wide open, it should be better. But hey, not gonna argue with a decent division lead with room to grow.

Zac Hereth: Considering all the things that have gone wrong so far, it’s pretty encouraging that Seattle is nine games above .500 and leading the division. How much more could you ask for when your star slugger (Julio Rodríguez) is going through a power outage, your offseason additions have disappointed and two of your presumed top-three bullpen arms haven’t thrown a single pitch this season? With that being said, I’ll go with a solid B. There’s no doubt this team could (and probably should) be better, but the expectation that the M’s would be cruising to wins by wide margins while being an offensive force is unrealistic. It’s just not how the team is built.

Cameron Van Til: The Mariners are a tough team to evaluate, given the stark contrast between an elite starting rotation that’s among the best in baseball and a struggling lineup that’s been among the worst. So far, their impressive arsenal of arms has been enough to outweigh the issues at the plate. Seattle is nine games over .500 and leads the AL West by 4 1/2 games, while sporting the fourth-best record in the AL and the eighth-best in the majors. To me, that feels like a B-plus. Plenty of questions remain and there’s certainly lots of room for improvement. But the starting rotation deserves its credit and the M’s are firmly a playoff-caliber team, which this grade reflects.

2. Who or what been the most pleasant surprise?

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Stecker: Trent Thornton and his iconic sport goggles deserve some attention. Acquired last year after he was designated for assignment by Toronto, the 30-year-old right-hander was pretty good in 2023 for Seattle and has been even better this season. He has a 3.22 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and .190 opponent average with nine holds and a save in 36 games. Good thing the Mariners have him, too, because he bailed them out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Rays. On the topic of relievers, Kentwood High and UW Huskies product Austin Voth needs a shoutout, too. He’s got a 3.62 ERA, is tied with Thornton for the best opponent average among M’s relievers at .190, and has the best WHIP out of Seattle’s bullpen at 0.93 in 33 games.

Hereth: Josh Rojas. Does much more need to be said? Rojas has cooled off at the plate since his red-hot start, but still holds the second-best batting average (.251) and second-best on-base percentage (.318) on the team among hitters with at least 200 at-bats. He’s also been rock-solid defensively with five outs above average at third base, tied for the AL lead. It’s become clear this season why the Mariners insisted on Rojas being a part of the return package for Paul Sewald last summer, because he looks like the type of a gritty player that’s the glue of a championship team. When good things are happening for the Mariners, Rojas has a knack for being in the middle of it.

Van Til: Josh Rojas’ defense. I could also go with Rojas as a whole, but I’ll focus specifically on his fielding. The Mariners had more than a decade of elite glove work at third base with Kyle Seager and Eugenio Suárez, but after trading Suárez this past offseason, there were massive defensive question marks at the hot corner. Rojas has completely wiped away those concerns. As Zac mentioned, Rojas is tied for the AL lead with five outs above average at third base. He also has eight OAA overall, including his work at second base and left field. He’s come a long way since his time with the Diamondbacks, when he logged minus-nine OAA in 2021 and minus-five in 2022. Mariners infield coach Perry Hill continues to work wonders.

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3. Who or what been the biggest disappointment (beside the slow start for Julio Rodríguez)?

Stecker: The road record. It’s great that the Mariners have turned T-Mobile Park into a fortress, jumping out to a 27-12 record at home. But the impact of that is lessened by the fact that Seattle has scuffled to a 19-25 mark in away games. Give the M’s credit for figuring out how to build a team around their ballpark, but their moves at the deadline need to help them get better on the road. Of course, just hitting better in general would help, too.

Hereth: The offensive offseason additions. While the Mariners didn’t break the bank to sign Shohei Ohtani or send a massive haul to San Diego for Juan Soto, the additions they made to the lineup this offseason were more promising than last year, and they should have improved this offense. Mitch Haniger’s struggles aren’t as surprising, but Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco’s production falling off to the levels they have is a head-scratcher. Those guys need to be better for this team to make a real postseason push.

Van Til: The widespread underperformance on offense. Every lineup will usually have one or two hitters going through a down year, but the sheer number of underperforming hitters in Seattle’s lineup is jarring. Eight of the 10 Mariners with at least 150 plate appearances have an OPS that’s below their career average, including four hitters (Jorge Polanco, Mitch Haniger, Julio Rodríguez and Mitch Garver) whose OPS is at least 140 points below their career number. There has to be some sort of regression to the mean at some point, right?

4. If you could acquire two specific players at the trade deadline, who would they be?

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Stecker: How about a couple of guys with the same last name who aren’t related (as far as we know)? Arizona first baseman Christian Walker and San Francisco reliever Ryan Walker both seem perfect for Seattle’s needs. Christian Walker is a veteran, ballpark-proof masher who would be a rental, so it keeps his price down. Ryan Walker, meanwhile, is a local product from Arlington High and WSU with a funky delivery, great numbers and plenty of club control. The only problem is both of their sub-.500 teams remain firmly in the jumbled mess that is the National League’s wild card race, so who knows if they’ll actually be available.

Hereth: I’ll stick with the offense here, but a left-handed reliever or starter is a close third. New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is a no-brainer to me. Excluding the shortened 2020 season, Alonso hasn’t hit less than 37 home runs in a season, and his raw power shouldn’t have any troubles with T-Mobile Park. Alonso along with Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes would really change this offense. Paredes hits for average, provides pop and has a low strikeout rate that the lineup would surely welcome. He’s under club control through 2027, so the cost would be steep.

Van Til: The Mariners’ situation necessitates a bold move, so I’ll go with Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The three-time All-Star has seen his power numbers decline since his 48-homer season in 2021, but he’s still produced an impressive 126 OPS+ over the past three seasons. It would cost a lot to acquire Guerrero, given that he’s still only 25 and is under club control through next season, but he’s the type of big-time bat who would bolster this lineup with both his power and his career .280 batting average. It might be tough to acquire another impact bat in addition to Guerrero, but I’ll go with Angels left fielder Taylor Ward as the second player. He has a 118 OPS+ over the past four seasons and is under club control through 2026.

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5. What’s your prediction for the rest of this Seattle Mariners season?

Stecker: Seattle really has no choice but to push all the chips in to win the AL West for the first time in 23 years, and what the Mariners do at the trade deadline is going to only make them more dangerous into October. I think they’ll win 95 games, win both an AL Wild Card Series and ALDS, but run into an AL East team that knocks them out in the ALCS. Sounds like a lot of good baseball in Seattle’s future.

Hereth: The Mariners do make a splash at the deadline with a trade on nobody’s radar. They get a serious scare from Texas or Houston (or both) down the stretch, but pull away in September for their AL West crown since 2001 at 92 wins. They reach the ALDS and play a must-see five-game series with Cleveland, and homefield advantage helps the 93-win Guardians reach the ALCS.

Van Til: The Mariners make their most aggressive trade deadline move in years and it pays off in a big way down the stretch. With an improved lineup and a healthier bullpen, the M’s win 94 games and capture their first AL West title since 2001. As the No. 3 seed in a loaded AL playoff field, they win their wild-card series and then beat the Guardians in a dramatic five-game ALDS before falling to the Orioles in the ALCS.

More on the M’s from Seattle Sports

• Lefko: Julio’s struggles magnify Mariners’ need to add impact bat
• How much did bumpy road trip hurt first-place Seattle Mariners?
• ‘Mr. Mariner’ Alvin Davis shares his advice for struggling Julio Rodríguez
• A team that could help Mariners at trade deadline in multiple ways
• Drayer: Why Seattle Mariners’ needs may include another starting pitcher

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Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes

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Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes


SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 02: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during the second period of a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.  (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)

Joey Daccord made 35 saves and the Seattle Kraken survived a 6-on-4 penalty kill for the final 90 seconds for a 2-1 victory over the East’s top team in the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers each scored in the second period for the Kraken as they managed to beat a Hurricanes team that has the second-best record in the NHL, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken are now in a playoff spot by five points as they hold the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division with 22 games to play.

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Nikolaj Ehlers scored the only goal of the night for the Hurricanes late in the second period, but Seattle was able to withstand Carolina’s offensive push in the final period to secure a second straight victory.

The Hurricanes are always a high-volume shooting team and Daccord faced plenty of chances. Carolina had 83 shot attempts to just 31 for the Kraken. Shots on goal were 36-15 in favor of the Hurricanes as well, but scoring chances were just 20-13 in Carolina’s favor as Seattle did a good job limiting the danger of the shots sent at Daccord.

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It was an eventful but scoreless first period between the two teams, with Carolina owning a 13-7 edge in shots. All three goals would come in the second.

Adam Larsson – who assisted on both goals for Seattle – deflected an Alexander Nikishin into the neutral zone to start a two-on-one rush chance for Kakko with Berkly Catton in support as Kakko ripped a shot through the armpit of Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead.

Kakko said he wanted to make the pass to Catton, but the lane was covered by Shane Ghostisbehere, so he elected to shoot.

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The Kraken earned a power play chance three minutes later on a tripping call against Eric Robinson. Carolina completely neutered the man-advantage for the first 90 seconds before the Kraken appeared to extend the lead.

With 15 seconds left on the power play, the Kraken rushed into the Hurricanes’ zone with Kakko finding a streaking Jaden Schwartz open on the back door for an easy finish behind Andersen. However, Carolina successfully challenged the goal for a missed offsides on Shane Wright that wiped out the goal.

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But the Kraken still managed to extend the lead soon after.

Jacob Melanson continues to be a spark plug for Seattle and helped restore the momentum immediately after the disallowed goal. On the shift coming out of the power play, Melanson delivered a big hit and connected with Adam Larsson on a breakout pass that sparked a rush. Ben Meyers crashed toward the net and was able to finish off his own rebound on a pass from Freddy Gaudreau to officially make it a 2-0 lead.

Melanson didn’t even get an assist out of the sequence, but was a big part of creating a goal for Seattle.

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After being extremely sharp defensively all night, Carolina finally pounced on an opportunity the Kraken were unable to turn away. Vince Dunn was just unable to control a loose puck in front of Seattle’s net as it landed on the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers instead, who snapped a shot past Daccord to make it a 2-1 game with 90 seconds left in the second period.

The Hurricanes took 32 shots in the third period as they attempted to find a tying goal, but only nine made it to Daccord, and he stopped them all. 

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Eeli Tolvanen was called for Seattle’s first and only penalty of the night – a holding call after breaking his stick – with 90 seconds left to play. With Andersen on the bench for a six-on-four chance for Carolina, Daccord stopped all three shots he faced to close out the win for Seattle.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

MORE KRAKEN NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

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MLB Mock Trade: Seattle Mariners Deal Luis Castillo to Atlanta Braves

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MLB Mock Trade: Seattle Mariners Deal Luis Castillo to Atlanta Braves


The Seattle Mariners have had a busy offseason as they try to improve their roster and break through to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle has been active in free agency and on the trade market. One of their final roster questions is who will serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. The Mariners could make one more move before the start of the season to address this need, potentially through a trade with the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves are dealing with some serious injuries to their starting rotation this offseason. After an impressive 2025 campaign, Spencer Schwellenbach has been shut down because of bone spurs. Breakout candidate Hurston Waldrep was also shut down during Spring Training with elbow inflammation. Both pitchers underwent surgery in February, leaving two open spots in Atlanta’s rotation. Let’s break down a mock trade centered on Luis Castillo that could help fill those holes for the Braves.

Atlanta Braves – Seattle Mariners Mock Trade

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Atlanta Braves receive SP Luis Castillo 

Seattle Mariners receive C Sean Murphy, SP Owen Murphy 

In this mock trade, the Braves acquire All-Star starter Luis Castillo. In exchange, the Mariners receive former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy and a young pitching prospect in Owen Murphy.

Fantasy Baseball Outlook

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Luis Castillo would slot into the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider. He has been very effective for the Mariners since they acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline four seasons ago. In 2025, Castillo went 11–8 in 32 games with a 3.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts. His fantasy value would likely dip if he left Seattle’s pitcher-friendly ballpark. Still, he has proven himself as a reliable, effective starter through consistent performance, and he would play a key role for Atlanta.

With the Mariners, Sean Murphy would serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. He would likely see a drop in playing time in Seattle, but this move could also give the Mariners more opportunities to use Raleigh at DH. With the fifth spot open in the Seattle rotation, Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell would be viable, experienced options. Alternatively, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are elite prospects who have had strong Spring Trainings and could break camp on Opening Day. The young pitching prospect Owen Murphy would also join a talented farm system and provide a future option for the rotation.

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VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year

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VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year


(Story originally posted 8:22 pm, updated 12:32 am)

By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

From a distance, they looked like a regular crowd of people enjoying a nice evening walk on the shores of Lincoln Park. But they were gathered here for a singular purpose: to scream. Since September 2025, the Scream Club Seattle has met at Lincoln Park on every third Sunday to scream, led by head organizer Amber Walcker. No explanation, justification, or invitation to scream is needed – come as you are. “There are some harder emotions people come here to deal with, sure, but some people also just come to scream.” head organizer Amber explained.

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Tonight’s crowd showed the club is rapidly growing. From around a dozen or so participants in the first gathering in September, tonight seemed to attract around 40 people gathering to let it all out.

As the sun started to set, and everyone was finally gathered together, the Scream Club was ready to begin.

There are only three screams, organizer Amber explained. The first, she said, is a scream to get used to doing it in public. The second scream is there to ground you. And the final – and longest scream – is there to let you have an emotional catharsis.

She also wanted to make sure people were taking care of their vocal health beforehand. As she told everyone to walk a little bit from the meeting place and start to gather near the shore, she instructed the crowd to hum for a few minutes on the way, to warm up the vocal cords.

With that, the crowd walked towards the shore.

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“On the count of one – two – three – scream!” said organizer Amber.

You can see our video of the proceedings here. After the screaming, we talked to a few participants about why they came out.

“There’s not one thing that’s really making me want to scream. There’s a lot of stuff going on for me, a lot of emotional ups and downs. Screaming into the ocean together gives you a sense of community.” said Jessie.

“This is my third or fourth time coming to scream. With the political climate, with everything that’s happening, getting together with local community to scream feels more productive than screaming into the internet on social media.” said Ursula.

“This is my first time coming out.” said Liz. “I screamed after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and I really felt something. I realized I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration recently, and it felt like coming here was a healthy way to get it out rather than screaming at your neighbors.”

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Organizer Amber recognizes much of what they were saying. “Meeting like this can be an important element to have in your mental health toolbox. It’s rare to have scream therapy.” She shared an anecdote about the therapeutic origins of the group, which originally started with a chapter in Chicago. “The founder was a life coach. Their girlfriend was having a bad day, and they encouraged them to go to the Chicago Pier and just let it out. He walked her through the process, and that was that. Eventually they invited more people to come do it.” She hopes to bring that same therapeutic energy to the practice here. “It’s a moment of emotional release more than anything else. Depending on what’s going on in people’s minds, everyone will come here with a different mindset and purpose. We’re providing a safe space to do that.”

Scream Club Seattle meets at Lincoln Park on the first Sunday of every month, and they are also starting to meet on the third Sunday of every month at Golden Gardens in Ballard. Tentatively, the next events will be in Lincoln Park on April 5th around 6 PM, and Golden Gardens on March 15th around 5 PM. If you’d like to know more, you can find them on Instagram here or look at their future events on their Eventbrite page here.





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