Stacy: 3 key changes the Seattle Mariners can make

The Seattle Mariners followed up a disappointing series against an awful Red Sox team with a disappointing series against the Pittsburgh Pirates to fall back to .500.

Sputtering Seattle Mariners offense nearing a dubious feat

It’s June, and they’re still in first place because they’re in the worst division in baseball, so it’s hardly time to panic. But I do think it’s time to make three key changes.

Make one of two choices with Rob Refsnyder.

You know what the Mariners could really use right now? The 2025 version of Rob Refsnyder. That guy was crushing lefties for Boston, hitting .302 with seven home runs and a .959 OPS in 138 plate appearances against southpaws. While an ideal version of the Mariners wouldn’t be leaning on platoon bats nearly as much anyway, knowing that they do, that is exactly the bat they’d be giddy to add at the deadline.

But that’s not this version of Rob Refsnyder. He’s hitting .146 with three homers against lefties. He hasn’t been able to meet moments, and a pinch-hit flyout with the bases loaded that squashed an M’s rally in Thursday’s loss felt all too predictable.

I’m not entirely sure why there’s been such a massive drop-off. Last year wasn’t a statistical outlier for his Red Sox tenure, which spanned four seasons, nor has he landed on the IL just yet – though I do wonder if a June IL stint could have helped a knee issue Refsnyder talked about in May. Perhaps a lefty-heavy Mariners team held off because of recent minor injuries to other outfielders.

I can understand a case for not wanting to move on entirely without other right-handed options. I can also tell you any team is going to be really, really hesitant to punt on $6 million when they were sure it would work out.

The solution I think about most often is no more Refsnyder appearances. If you’re not going to move on entirely from him and are insistent on making sure you’re right, then put him on the IL and see what a completely healthy version of him looks like. Luke Raley struggles against lefties. That’s a fact, his splits are there. But what’s the point of removing him for a player struggling all season in general?

That’s your first option. You’re probably not going to love the second, but I certainly think it’s interesting.

I was chatting about this issue with a friend and they pitched me on what they think is the responsible thing: start Refsnyder as often as possible until the trade deadline to be absolutely sure that you’re wrong about him before you punt on a $6 million deal.

Their reasoning: “Taking away at-bats never fixes a problem. One of my problems with the matchups thing is you never let guys get into a groove. And if he can’t get into a groove by the deadline, we’re done here.”

The solution if it doesn’t work? Move on entirely and trade for a righty bat at the deadline.

Move Cal Raleigh back in the lineup.

Your best players hit second and third. And I’d assume that’s why the Mariners have Cal and Julio Rodríguez in those spots: it disincentivizes pitchers to pitch around an ideal version of Cal because you don’t want a runner on for an ideal version of Julio. Just think if you had an ideal version of Brendan Donovan at leadoff here, too! The approach makes sense in theory.

But it’s not working in reality. I haven’t suddenly changed my mind about the two best bats being Raleigh and Julio; I don’t think a .167-hitting Raleigh is the truest version of him. Like I said, he and Rodríguez are the two best bats in this lineup… but they don’t have to be that right now.

Raleigh’s profile as a hitter wouldn’t typically fit that spot anyway (he’s more of a classic cleanup hitter), but I’m looking at it like this: in additional to his profile or whatever plan you had in spring, you’ve got to also balance a) the reality of who that hitter is currently, b) the pressure that player is under mentally, and c) the wear and tear that player will take over the course of the season.

Stubbornness — with a lineup, with an approach, with anything — can reward you in sports, but that’s not a constant, unfailing truth.

It felt last season like Raleigh (and a few other bats) could’ve used more rest. This is a team with plans to make a deep push into October, and while they need to pick up steam soon for the best chance at a top seed and bye in the playoffs — an important part of their journey last season — they have time to experiment with the lineup. Raleigh’s hitting sub-.200 and has eight home runs. Even with the IL stint considered, that’s not even 2024 Raleigh. It would also certainly appear from the outside that the All-Star catcher, who was a hometown hero but certainly not under a national spotlight prior to historic 2025 season, is feeling an immense amount of pressure to do everything for an offense that’s not doing much.

So, take some of that off. And let someone a bit younger take over near the top of the lineup, particularly since you’re leaning into a youth movement with a few pieces. My pitch is Cole Young. He’s 4 for 22 this week, but everyone on offense has been underperforming. He has the fourth-most hits on the team this year with fewer strikeouts than Rodríguez, Raley, Arozarena, and Raleigh.

Figure out how to resolve a good problem.

The Mariners have a good problem. Kind of. Let me explain.

The Mariners are in the predicament they are with their rotation because Emerson Hancock ended up pitching like an All-Star to start the year and the rotation has, outside of Bryce Miller, stayed off the IL, which is a welcome relief after last season.

They can’t take Hancock out of the rotation now that Bryce Miller is back. But they’re clearly hesitant to put Luis Castillo, their worst performing starter, in the bullpen instead. The veteran arm has a 5.22 ERA and a $24 million salary for 2026, and the Mariners are stuck between a rock and a hard place: it’s hard to put a longtime starter in the ‘pen, especially when you’re not sure how it’ll affect his ability to return as a starter if someone is hurt. But you also can’t deal him to another team for offensive help.

But the solution has been murky and, at times, bungled. It’s not that a six-man rotation or a piggyback can’t work in theory; it’s that they didn’t seem too committed to either idea and struggled at first with communicating the plans to the very players it affected. So while I spent the first half of this advocating for experimentation in the lineup, I don’t know that the same approach works for much longer here.

Unlike my first two suggestions, I don’t have a clear-cut solution. My immediate reaction as someone outside the front office playing with house money here is to put Castillo in the ‘pen. But more than that, I think my point here is that I want to see that they can resolve a good problem.

We all know they’re a team that hasn’t dealt with overwhelming success. It’s inherent to their story. And in a weird way, I wonder whether that’s the next problem to iron out. This group hasn’t entered a season as league favorites and learned how to bounce back from an underwhelming start. They brought back most of the same team that made it to Game 7 of the ALCS last year, and, in a mediocre division and American League, might be clinging to the whole of those pieces and their plan in the hopes that patience and perseverance there will reward them in the end.

But great clubs who become regular contenders — something the Mariners are still working their way toward — have to learn to balance their core principles with a willingness to challenge their approach and take risks. I think the Mariners are still learning how to do it, and it’s OK. But if there’s an encouraging sign I’d like to see now, it’s that willingness to take a chance.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• The value to Mariners keeping Luis Castillo in rotation
• Tim Kurkjian details how the WBC didn’t help Cal Raleigh
• Seattle Mariners announce new ‘Legacy Plaza’ at T-Mobile Park

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