The Seattle Mariners had a great trade deadline, trading for Eugenio Suarez to improve their batting order. Now, things look great after the 2025 MLB trade deadline. But there is still some work to do. For one, the Mariners' lineup has to gel. This Mariners offense has a lot of positives and negatives. But to analyze the Mariners' trade deadline moves, it's also critical to look at the concerns.
As the 2025 MLB season races toward the playoffs, the M's find themselves three games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. Oddsmakers believe that Seattle is a World Series contender after the 2025 MLB trade deadline moves. Likewise, they see the M's doing all the right things to cement their way.
But does Seattle still have a reason to be concerned? Despite a nearly-perfect 2025 MLB trade deadline, there are still a few things that can go wrong. The biggest possible factor that could destroy this team down the line is regression.
Can the Mariners' offense sustain momentum?
The best-case scenario for the M's would be to win the AL West. If they are to do that, they need to pass the Astros. For that to happen, they need to sustain the offense.
The M's currently have the top two power hitters in the game. Amazingly, Cal Raleigh is having a great season, batting .249 with 42 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 73 runs. Suarez is hitting .243 with 37 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 68 runs. Matching them together can create a lot of fireworks in Seattle. Other excellent players include Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez, and Jorge Polanco. So far, Arozarena is batting .248 with 22 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 63 runs. Rodriguez is hitting .254 with 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 72 runs. Likewise, Polanco is batting .257 with 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 43 runs.
The offense has been excellent lately. But can they sustain it? Looking at the numbers, Seattle is fourth in home runs, 11th in runs, and third in stolen bases. Conversely, they are also fifth in strikeouts – more on that later – last in doubles, and 29th in triples. When the M's are not hitting singles or home runs, they are not doing much. It's something that could happen down the line.
Putting the right lineup together
So, what is the best lineup to put together? After being aggressive at the 2025 MLB Trade deadline, it's all about finding the best fit. When the M's played the Texas Rangers this past weekend, they scored a combined 13 runs over three games. This week, they unleashed eight runs on the Chicago White Sox.
Arozarena led off for the team, with Raleigh in the second spot. Likewise, Rodriguez was third in the Mariners' lineup, while Josh Naylor was in the cleanup spot. Suarez was fifth in the Mariners lineup, while Polanco batted sixth. If there is anything the team could adjust for this particular batting order, it would be to switch Suarez and Rodriguez. While Naylor has been solid in the past, he might be better in the fifth spot.
While the Mariners could score eight runs against a bad team like the Sox, it will be much more difficult when the playoffs come around. Assuming the M's make the playoffs, they would likely start things off against the Boston Red Sox. How would this lineup fare against Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Luis Giolito in a Best-of-3 series?
Cutting down the strikeouts
As previously mentioned, the Mariners have a major strikeout problem. This team has this “all or nothing” mentality. They have that mentality with stealing bases (11th in caught stealing) and the same when it comes to swinging for the fences. When the M's are not hitting the baseball, they are still striking out too much.
They struck out eight times against the Sox, and whiffed 13 strikeouts in a game against the Rangers recently. Despite the Mariners' trade deadline moves, that has not changed. What happens if this comes back at the worst time? The Mariners' offense must make adjustments and reduce the strikeouts. Yes, the team has a lot of power, but they must find balance and avoid chasing bad pitches.
It all starts with timing and understanding the pitches. For the Mariners' offense, they will not have to do much to match a pitching staff that is already among the best in baseball. While the offense can win some games, it can also lose them if it regresses. While Raleigh and Suarez are powerful threats, the rest of the Mariners' lineup must sustain their high level of play to give them the best chance to succeed this season. If they cannot, then they will find themselves watching the World Series from home.
