“We definitely have to re-sign Naylor. Probably re-sign Geno if we can afford it. Like what we have has to stay intact,” said Kyle, a Mariners fan. — The Seattle Mariners’ hopes for a World Series appearance were dashed after a heartbreaking loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
The Mariners were just one game away from making history, but their season came to a painful end, leaving both fans and players feeling the sting of the defeat.
“I mean, I know this stings. There is no question that it’s going to sting,” said Dan Wilson, the Mariners’ manager.
“And then the ending happened and at least from my perspective, it was worse than I could’ve imagined,” commented TJ Mathewson, co-founder of the Marine Layer Podcast.
As the Mariners look ahead to the 2026 season, fans are already speculating about the team’s next moves.
Key players like third baseman Geno Suarez and first baseman Josh Naylor are set to become free agents, while designated hitter Jorge Polanco has a player option, allowing him to test the market if he chooses.
“We definitely have to re-sign Naylor. Probably re-sign Geno if we can afford it. Like what we have has to stay intact,” said Kyle, a Mariners fan.
“But Geno doesn’t make quite as much sense to me as Naylor does, unfortunately, as much as I love the good vibes,” Mathewson added.
Mathewson also highlighted other areas of need for the team, stating, “We’ve been pinning for some extra bullpen arms,” and “Probably need another outfielder at this rate.”
Despite increasing their payroll to 15th in the league, the Mariners still trail behind the last four World Series champions, who have spent significantly more.
Mathewson remarked, “I don’t think that blindly spending is necessarily the way to go, but when you have clear needs, like they did this past offseason and like they will this offseason, like your 1B position, like that is money that needs to be spent.”
As the Mariners and their fans reflect on a historic but ultimately unfulfilled season, the focus now shifts to the offseason and the potential moves that could finally propel the team to the World Series.
©2025 Cox Media Group
