Why MLB reporter picked Mariners to win World Series

The Seattle Mariners have racked up the fourth-most regular-season wins in the American League since 2021. But despite all those victories, the M’s have reached the playoffs only once during that span, having fallen just short of the AL’s final wild card in three of the past four years.

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This year, one MLB reporter is predicting the Mariners to rebound and break through in a major way.

As in, he has the M’s going all the way.

Sam Blum, who covers both the Los Angeles Angels and MLB as a whole for The Athletic, is predicting the Mariners to win the World Series.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Blum’s bold projection was part of The Athletic MLB staff’s season predictions. Of the 33 reporters, he was the only one who picked the Mariners to win the AL pennant – let alone the World Series.

What prompted his prediction? Blum joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Monday to give his reasoning. It all starts with the Mariners’ elite starting rotation, along with a belief that their struggling offense will fare better than it did last year.

“I think they have the best strength out of any team in the American League (with) that type of starting rotation,” Blum said. “(And) I don’t think their offense is maybe as bad as it performed last year.

“I just don’t think there’s any team that has a strength that lines up with the Mariners,” he added. “And when you get into the playoffs – assuming they make it – that strength will carry them.”

Seattle’s deep and talented rotation led the majors in ERA and WHIP last season. And the M’s return all five starters from that group – although right-hander George Kirby will begin the year in the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Seattle’s exceptional rotation was overshadowed by the club’s struggles at the plate last season, with the Mariners finishing 21st in the majors in runs scored and 29th in batting average.

But after Dan Wilson took over as manager in late August and brought aboard Edgar Martinez as the team’s hitting coach, Seattle’s offense performed much differently over the final 34 games. The Mariners averaged an AL-best 5.1 runs per game over that closing stretch, while ranking second in the league in batting average and tied for first in slugging percentage.

“I know a lot of Mariners fans are not happy with the way the offseason went, and I agree with them to a large extent,” Blum said. “… But I think when you take the disappointment of the offseason out of it, I like their roster.

“They’re not the best team in baseball,” he added. “But I just like the way that they’re built and constructed to maybe make a run.”

Opportunity in the AL West?

Blum, who has extensive knowledge of the AL West from covering the Angels, also likes how the division is set up for the Mariners.

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Blum thinks the longtime AL West juggernaut Houston Astros are poised to finally take a step back after trading away three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and losing franchise icon Alex Bregman in free agency. And while he thinks the Texas Rangers could be good and the Athletics could emerge as a surprise contender, he sees the M’s as the definite favorite.

“I think the A’s are pretty good,” Blum said. “I think the Rangers are interesting. But the Angels and the Astros – I just don’t look at this division as a huge, huge hurdle for the Mariners to win it. I would think that they would win the division based on their starting rotation.

“(And) if they get to that point,” he added, “I think they have the best chance in the playoffs.”

Listen to the full conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Blum in the podcast at this link or in the audio player near the top of this post. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 7 p.m. on Seattle Sports.

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