Salk: This year’s Mariners are showing something different

Sep 18, 2025, 10:20 AM | Updated: 4:17 pm

Host, Brock & Salk (6-10 a.m.)

The 2021 Seattle Mariners got a little frisky at the end of the season.

Undermanned but with a young core just starting to find themselves, they played a unique version of chaos ball that got them into the playoff mix. Playing on the popularity of “Ted Lasso,” they latched onto the concept of belief. “Believe” signs popped up in the clubhouse, in the manager’s office and around the ballpark. Annoying radio hosts even played Cher’s “Believe” in solidarity!

Belief was perfect for that team. It was a way of maximizing, or maybe even trying to exceed, the level of talent on that roster. It was the start of a process that fell just short that September. Belief is great. But it’s not as powerful as confidence. At least the type of confidence we are seeing from the current Mariners.

Maybe I’m splitting hairs or mincing words, but my interpretation of belief is that is requires a leap of faith in something you can’t necessarily see. Confidence, on the other hand, is built off the knowledge that you have done it and can do it again.

The 2025 Mariners are talented and they are confident. I think those two things are related.

Cal Raleigh can’t believe his name is now beside Mantle and Griffey

Major league players are smart, especially when it comes to baseball. They look around and know what the talent looks like around them. They know if they are good enough. They know what a championship type of team looks like.

This roster has enough talent to win. The lineup runs (depending on the night) seven to nine players deep. It has a collection of superstars, run producers, speedsters, home run threats, on-base machines and plain-old professional hitters. It has veterans and young players. It is now fairly evenly balanced to attack both lefties and righties, with a pair of switch-hitters in the daily lineup (and one more on the bench). After running thin for most of the season, the bench now has legitimate threats from both sides of the plate.

And the players recognize that just as easily as the rest of us do. They know that every night they take the field, they don’t just have a chance to win, but they can expect to do so.

In my opinion, the Mariners have a better roster (right now) than the Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Blue Jays. You could certainly make a compelling argument against that statement, but at the very least you would have to agree that none of those teams have a roster that is significantly better than Seattle’s. You might take one of the other offenses, pitching staffs, or bullpens, but is there another AL team with a more complete roster?

Real confidence is rare in this day and age, especially in sports. We see plenty of belief and even more bluster. But true confidence? Scottie Scheffler has it. Patrick Mahomes has it. Maybe a handful of others. But all too often we watch teams and players give up late leads because they crack under the pressure. They can’t handle the weight of success or the fear of expectations.

This Mariners team isn’t perfect. And they aren’t going to win every game. But they have more talent than any Seattle roster in my 17 seasons here. And with 10 games left to play, they have the confidence to go with that talent. All that’s left is execution.