A tough choice the Mariners could have to make

After a slew of early injuries, the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation has started to look more like the group it was expected to be.

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Bryan Woo has been dominant. George Kirby has been rolling through his past eight starts, going 7-1 with a 2.42 ERA. Logan Gilbert is striking out batters at a career-best pace. And Luis Castillo has been a consistent force during another strong season.

On top of that, the rotation is expected to be at full strength for this first time this year soon with Bryce Miller nearing a return from the injured list.

It all comes while Seattle is in the thick of the American League playoff race, holding the top wild card spot and 93.5% odds to reach the playoffs, per FanGraphs.

If the Mariners do reach the postseason, which of their talented starters should take the ball in Game 1 of their first series? Longtime ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney was asked that question Friday during a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“Dan Wilson has some really tough choices coming up in the postseason,” Olney said. “Bryan Woo, I think that based on what we’ve seen this year, that’s typically (who) you would say would be the guy. But do you go against a Logan Gilbert Gilbert with his career basically of dominance? Do you go against the Luis Castillo with his experience that he has?”

The balancing act

Woo has best track record of Mariners pitchers this season. The right-hander is on a remarkable run of 24 straight starts pitching at least six innings to start the season. He’s been extremely effective along the way, posting a 3.02 ERA with 153 strikeouts to 28 walks over 152 innings.

But the answer to who will start the first playoff game for the Mariners may not be as simple as who has had the best year in 2025.

“When I covered those Yankee teams in the late 90s, you had Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte, and you had David Cone and David Wells. Joe Torre had to navigate those choices because sometimes it’s not only about who’s the best pitcher, it’s also kind of a political thing in the clubhouse,” Olney said. “So Andy Pettitte, at times, was the most effective pitcher, but he also understood what it meant for someone like Roger to get the ball in Game 1. He would go with that. I am really curious to see what Dan chooses.”

If the decision was up to Olney, he feels Woo has earned the nod.

“I’m going to be the nerd who says I’m going to go on the numbers and I would pick Bryan Woo right now,” Olney said. “But every one of those guys can make a great case (for). And certainly if you’re in the Mariners’ position, you love the fact that a couple of those guys are going to go into the bullpen once you’re in the playoffs.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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