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Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez hopes to build off strong finish

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Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez hopes to build off strong finish


SEATTLE – It was clear something was on Julio Rodríguez’s mind when he entered the Seattle Mariners clubhouse before the team’s penultimate game against the for-now Oakland Athletics, but soon to be just “A’s” Saturday afternoon. He had a question for manager Dan Wilson who he found in the hallway outside his office.

The key things Dipoto said about Mariners’ offseason plans

“Skip, is there early hitting today?” he asked.

If there wasn’t, it certainly could, and would be arranged quickly. While there were just two games remaining and the postseason no longer an option, Rodríguez felt the need to finish strong, if not in results at least by feel.

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“(It’s) very important,” he said. “Being able to finish the season knowing that you feel good, that you kind of checked your boxes out. Especially later in the year, it kind of drives some good air into the offseason so you’re looking forward to the next year.”

It has taken some time for Rodríguez to get to this feeling. Having got off to a slow start while hitting just seven home runs through the first three months of the season, he would not experience a significant turnaround until July when his slugging percentage jumped 61 points. An ankle injury interrupted that success forcing him to miss 16 games. He did not miss a beat in his return posting similar numbers in August before taking another jump in September. The hitter we see today is not the hitter who left Peoria six months ago. Rodriguez admits it has been a process.

“In this last stretch, I feel like I’ve been a lot more comfortable and just kind of having a simple thought in my mind and going up there with that and just kind of believing in myself a lot more,” he said. “Especially in bigger situations, in any type of situations, just knowing what I want to do is something so simple and that can carry me. That has helped me out as a hitter and I’m going to plan on continuing to keep it moving forward.”

Rodríguez said leaving practice behind when he stepped into the batter’s box was key. “The work has been done, let it play.”

“That’s something that I used to do that maybe I took a little bit for granted and this year, I was able to kind of get it a little bit more again. It’s just kind of being out there and playing free.”

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To get there, according to Julio, it takes good people around you. The name at the top of the list is likely not a surprise.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to (hitting coach) Edgar (Martinez),” he said. “He was he was somebody that instilled a lot of things that I kind of forgot in myself. And I’m grateful that he was able to be part of this coaching staff for the last stretch of the season.”

For Rodríguez and others, it goes back to simplifying. Martinez believes if the swing is good, trust it. Approaches can be simple. Stay up the middle, let the ball travel, adjust if need be, fight if you get to two strikes.

“As a hitter in the times that we’re living, we kind of forget that feel of the game,” Rodríguez. “And that’s something that he really kind of brought to not just to me, but I’m sure to a lot of the guys in this room and, yeah, I’m going to give the credit to him.”

Martinez has been around the team for years, available before most home games, behind the batting cages. It’s different when he is the voice of hitting and not leaving the ballpark once the game starts. Julio has seen him have great impact in the dugout.

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“One thing that might seem small for a lot of people, every time you have Edgar Martinez in your dugout telling you, ‘Are you ready to go compete?’ It kind of fires you up. Are you ready to go compete out there? Do you got this guy? Little things like that,” Rodríguez said. “That’s Edgar Martinez, he’s gonna get you riled up and you want to go out there and compete and just do the best you can. Even whenever you were to miss, he’s never doubting you and for the next at-bat he brings the same energy.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, he’s always there for you. And I feel like that’s something as a player that you love so much because we struggle so much in this game. Let’s say you have somebody in your corner that is actually there supporting you and you feel that, you feel like they got your back, truly. And that’s something that is really, really impactful for me.

Rodríguez plans to do more than give Martinez, who was brought on to help Wilson through the end of the year, credit. He would like him to stick around.

“I would love him to stay. I feel like he’s somebody that all of us, we can benefit so much,” he said. “We respect him so much and he just loves this organization just like how we do. He built this organization in the beginning pretty much. Just the impact that he has on all of us, I feel like that’s something that I would love for him to stay. At the same time, he has his own things going on. I feel like we (are) all waiting to see.”

In the meantime, there is a season of expectations not met to put behind them. Never one to focus on the negative, Rodríguez looks forward.

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“I don’t want to say disappointed,” he answered when asked his feelings of the outcome of the season. “Obviously, it was definitely a learning year for a lot of us as players, to me personally, too. I just feel like this is part of a long journey. I feel like this isn’t the end right now, this is a chapter of it this year, but I feel like a lot of us as a player, we learned a lot and that’s something that we’re going to carry on for next year and obviously looking forward to going deeper into the games and into the playoffs and be able to play some real ballgames.”

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Cal Raleigh reflects on Mariners’ ‘disappointing’ 2024 season
• Rost: Where Seattle Mariners’ season ending leaves fans
• Mariners unveil 2024 minor league award winners
• Video: What led to Seattle Mariners missing the playoffs again
• Requiem for a Seattle Mariners Season: The questions that await





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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.

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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.

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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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