Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Three hitters the Seattle Mariners should target in free agency
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?
So with that out of the way, here are three hitters I think the Mariners should make a run at this offseason.
Seattle Mariners offseason targets
Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
6-0, 208 pounds
Bats and throws right-handed
Will be 34 years old next season
2024 stats: .251/.335/.468 (.803 OPS), 26 HR, 26 2B, 130 games
Yeah, I’m still banging this drum.
Christian Walker is good. Really good. And even better, he’s probably not going to be the most sought-after first baseman in free agency this offseason because Pete Alonso (who I think only has the edge over Walker in age) will also be on the market.
Walker slugs no matter where he plays, ranking in the 90th percentile in barrel percentage last year per Statcast, as well as 89th percentile in bat speed, 86th in hard-hit percentage and xwOBA, and 82nd in average exit velocity. He also has a good eye, ranking in the 77th percentile in chase percentage and 73rd in walk percentage. Oh, and he’s a stellar defender at first base (97th percentile in outs above average, which measures defensive range).
Anyways, here’s a video of Walker defeating the marine layer by sending a rocket through the late April sky and into the Mariners’ bullpen at T-Mobile Park.
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
5-10, 208 pounds
Bats left-handed, throws right-handed
30 years old
2024 stats: .244/.311/.473 (.783 OPS), 21 HR, 19 2B, 107 games
Next up, a guy who isn’t exactly a free agent (and mispronounces his last name, to boot).
Brandon Lowe (last name pronounced like a Hawaiian luau, minus the first ‘U’) is entering the first of two years of club options on his contract, so the Rays have five days to decide whether they’ll pick up his $10.5 million option for 2025 or buy him out for $1 million. While Tampa Bay is known to part ways with players before their salaries go up, it doesn’t necessarily sound like that will be the case this time.
So why is Lowe on this list when he’s probably not going to be a free agent? Because the Rays and Mariners sure like to trade with each other, and it’s kind of surprising Lowe hasn’t already put on a Mariners jersey when you think about that.
The Mariners have their own decision to make about a veteran second baseman’s team option in Jorge Polanco. If they decide to move on from last year’s key offseason trade addition, Lowe seems like a strong candidate to be this year’s key offseason trade addition.
Anthony Santander, RF, Baltimore Orioles
6-2, 230 pounds
Bats switch, throws right-handed
30 years old
2024 stats: .235/.308/.506 (.814 OPS), 44 HR, 25 2B, 155 games
Just imagine this: an imposing hitter walks up to the plate on opening day in a Seattle Mariners uniform, and up pops a chyron that says “44 home runs last season.”
Feels pretty good to think about that, right? See, this is why we dream big when the offseason starts. Be kind to yourself. Think good thoughts.
Santander is going to be a big name in free agency this winter, because signing him could be seen as the silver medal in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. So yeah, he’s going to get a big ol’ contract. Wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Mariners to try to be the team that gets him to sign on the dotted line. Is it likely? Well, probably not. Is it possible? Guess you better ask Kevin Garnett about that.
The only question I’d have about Santander is where he would play for Seattle. He’s a right fielder by trade, but the Mariners have a full outfield in Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodríguez and Victor Robles.
Santander has also played a little first base in his career, and that position is a question mark for the M’s. Pending free agent Justin Turner split time with Luke Raley at first in the final two months of the season for Seattle, and running that back in some form wouldn’t be unwelcome. I say smash those two ideas together and play the matchups.
Always say yes to more good players, especially if it means getting a bat like Santander’s into the fold.
More on the Seattle Mariners’ offseason
• Four insiders dive into what went wrong with Mariners’ offense
• Drayer: Why ‘Who is the best Mariners pitcher?’ is a great question
• Seattle Sports’ Mariners roundtable looks at ’24, ahead to offseason
• Lefko: Mariners snub reveals what’s wrong with Gold Glove process
• Drayer: Important dates for Seattle Mariners offseason
SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy injured early Thursday morning in the High Point neighborhood.
At about 12:48 a.m., dispatchers received multiple reports of rapid gunfire near Sylvan Way Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street.
Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip area. Medics transported the teen to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
Before officers located the victim, they found a car that had crashed and become disabled near Sylvan Way Southwest and Delridge Way Southwest. Police said multiple suspects were seen running from the vehicle through a nearby Home Depot parking lot.
Officers cordoned off the area and searched for the suspects with assistance from the K-9 Unit, but were unable to locate them. Police recovered the vehicle and impounded it for processing.
During the incident, gunfire struck at least three vehicles and two buildings. No other injuries were reported.
Officers processed multiple nearby scenes and recovered evidence before clearing the area. Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit will lead the investigation.
Seattle, WA
Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.
The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.
The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”
Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.
RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures
Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.
“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”
A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.
RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver
Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.
“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.
According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.
Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.
That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.
Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.
Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.
Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.
“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
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