SEATTLE (AP) — The day after longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs announced he will retire at the end of the month…
SEATTLE (AP) — The day after longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs announced he would retire at the end of the 2026 season After his 41st year on the stand in Seattle, he advocated for the team to win the World Series this fall.
And at Saturday’s Mariners fan fest at T-Mobile Park, numerous key players from last year’s team, which came within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance, echoed the same sentiment. Perhaps no one’s tune was louder than that of star midfielder Julio Rodríguez, who spoke on behalf of the club.
“I think this year will do wonders for us,” Rodríguez said. “I think we’re all in a better place.”
Seattle returned many key players from last year’s team, which went 90-72 and won the franchise’s first AL West title since 2001. It won’t just be catcher Cal Raleigh, who became the seventh player in Major League history to hit 60 home runs in a season and returns to the Emerald City.
There’s also first baseman Josh Naylor, who agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Mariners in November. Naylor endeared himself to the Seattle fan base with his aggressive style while hitting .299 with nine home runs and 19 stolen bases in 54 games after being acquired at the trade deadline.
“I can’t wait to spend a full season here and make some great memories,” Naylor said. “My goal is to win a World Series every year, and I really want to try to do that for this city, this organization and everyone involved.”
Still, the pain of a disappointing end to a stellar season continues to haunt several Mariners, just as it did in October in the days shortly after they were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. But it at least set a precedent for what the Mariners expect from themselves in 2026 and beyond.
Seattle starter George Kirby, who finished third on the team in wins (10) last year, thinks reaching the ALCS should be the standard for this group.
“Now that we’ve gotten this far, I feel like this is the stage for us this year,” Kirby said. “Everything else won’t do.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson, in his second full season at the helm, expressed similar confidence in his team, which returns five players who were worth at least 3.8 wins above replacement last season, according to baseball-reference.com. Perhaps not surprisingly, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander haven’t added many players to Seattle’s roster.
While veteran infielder Jorge Polanco – who had 26 home runs last season – left via free agency for the New York Metsthe Mariners added outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who hit .269 with nine home runs and an .838 OPS in 70 games last year. Losing third baseman Eugenio Suárez, acquired in a July trade, remains a free agent, so Seattle could turn to 25-year-old Ben Williamson, who was a rookie last year, to man the hot corner.
Otherwise, the Mariners will put their faith in a core led by Rodríguez, Raleigh, Naylor and right-handed starting pitchers like Kirby, All-Star Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller.
“I love this group,” Wilson said. “To make sure that core stays together, you can add pieces to it like we did. And I think Jerry and Justin do a great job of that. And the pieces, because there is a core, the pieces fit together pretty quickly. I don’t expect that to be any different.”
It remains to be seen how Refsnyder and prospects like Williamson, fellow young infielder Cole Young and others will fit into Seattle’s plans. The 2025 season remains one worth celebrating, but as Raleigh put it, the Mariners must build on what they’ve already accomplished or risk last year being a one-trick pony.
“What we’re trying to accomplish here is win a World Series and set the standard, the bar and the expectations super high,” Raleigh said, “because that’s where we want to be. I think that’s the way we look at it.”
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