State of the Mariners: Where they stand heading into playoffs

Sep 28, 2025, 4:53 PM | Updated: 4:55 pm

Seattle Sports

SEATTLE – The final series of the season didn’t go the way the Seattle Mariners wanted, but it ultimately didn’t have any impact on what lies ahead.

Seattle Mariners will face either Guardians or Tigers in ALDS

After getting swept over three games by the National League West-champion Dodgers, the American League West-champion Mariners can now turn their sights on the postseason.

Seattle, which holds the No. 2 seed in the AL, has five days off before it begins the AL Division Series at home Saturday against the winner of the wild-card round matchup between the AL Central-winning Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. And to prepare for the series and attempt to avoid any rust from the layoff, the M’s are set to host six-inning intrasquad scrimmages Wednesday and Thursday at T-Mobile Park.

During the days before the ALDS, Seattle will have some difficult decisions to make regarding who makes the 26-man roster for the series and which starter will take mound in each game.

With the playoffs on the horizon, here’s a look at who’s hot, who’s not and any injury concerns Seattle is facing.

Who’s hot

Cal Raleigh: The slugging catcher’s historic power season ended just shy of Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs, as Raleigh finished with 60. However, September was a very strong month for the AL MVP candidate. Raleigh bounced back from back-to-back months with a sub-.200 batting average to post a .278/.391/.639 slash line with a 1.030 OPS and 10 homers. It was his third month with an OPS north of 1.000.

Dominic Canzone: Canzone’s breakout season continued with a strong closing kick. The left-handed-hitting right fielder posted a .365/.414./.635 slash line with a 1.049 OPS and four home runs in 20 September games, which included a five-hit, three-homer performance.

Josh Naylor: Seattle’s big trade deadline acquisition closed the season on a 12-game hitting streak, posting an eye-popping .432 batting average and 1.049 OPS with 16 hits, including five for extra bases, and 12 RBIs during the run.

Jorge Polanco: The switch-hitting Polanco was one of baseball’s hottest hitters in September, sporting a .329 average and 1.014 OPS with a league-high 13 doubles and four homers in 23 games. His month included a 13-game hitting streak.

Julio Rodríguez: The Mariners star center fielder took off after announcing he’d forgo the All-Star game less than a week prior to the event and hasn’t slowed down since. He announced the decision on July 11 and has hit 21 home runs since. Just five players in the league entered Sunday with more homers during the stretch, which includes Raleigh.

Starting pitching: After dealing with injuries for most of the season, Seattle’s starters were at full strength and mostly trending in the right direction down the stretch.

Luis Castillo posted in a 1.07 ERA over 25 1/3 innings in his last four starts. Logan Gilbert allowed two or fewer earned runs in all five of his September outings. George Kirby was strong in his final three starts, twice striking out at least 10 batters. And Bryan Woo continued to be a model of consistency during his breakout season, posting a 2.86 ERA in four September starts.

Who’s not

Eugenio Suárez: Seattle’s slugging third baseman and the other big piece acquired before the trade deadline finished the year with a very boom-or-bust month. He hit just .190 with a .250 on-base percentage and 41 strikeouts, but he was still able to muster a .700 OPS due to hitting seven home runs.

Randy Arozarena: After a strong midseason surge, Arozarena tailed off towards the end. He posted his lowest OPS (.596) and most strikeouts (36) by month in September. The left fielder also combined to hit just .216 over the final two months of the season.

Victor Robles: Robles is batting just .226 with a .602 OPS since returning from the a lengthy stay on the injured list in late August.

Matt Brash: After an incredible start following his return from Tommy John surgery, Brash has had some rough patches over the past two months with a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings since the start of August. Not awful numbers, but also nowhere near what the right-hander is capable of.

Carlos Vargas: A workhorse out of the bullpen all season, Vargas hit some bumps in the road once the calendar reached mid-September. He’s allowed at least one run in four of his past six outings, and seven total over 6 1/3 innings during the stretch.

Injury concerns

Bryan Woo: Woo hasn’t pitched since leaving his Sept. 19 start against the Astros early with pectoral inflammation. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Sunday the club is optimistic about its standout right-hander’s availability for the ALDS, but its waiting to see him throw a competitive bullpen session or face live batters before making a decision on his return.

Josh Naylor: Naylor left Friday’s game with groin tightness, which manager Dan Wilson called a precautionary move. Naylor also sat out both Saturday and Sunday and was the only everyday starter to do so, which makes the situation worth monitoring throughout the week.