Mariners don't need to be great to win AL West, thanks to mediocre division

The A’s, the Astros, the Angels and the Rangers. You probably think of them as enemies.

But what if, this year, they are closer to allies?

Not in the sense that the Mariners want to see them succeed, but in that they are so mediocre, they can almost be considered friends.

Seattle (18-20), after all, has not been good. Nearly a quarter of the way into the season, the club has fallen well short of expectations after taking Toronto to seven games in last year’s ALCS. But the M’s don’t have to be great to take the AL West Division. Just good. And based on what they did during this week’s series against the Braves, there’s enough of that good to get them into the postseason.

I know that looks like whirlpool-level spin for a team many thought would be competing for the best record in the American League at this point. How can a club that just got swept by the mid-at-best Royals last weekend be deserving of positive pub?

Well, because the parts in their shop are still top of the line, even if the car is in a steady state of stop and go. That and the best team in their division thus far - the Athletics (18-18) - are a mere .500.

First, the parts.

In the Mariners’ 3-1 win over Atlanta on Wednesday, starting pitcher Bryan Woo allowed just one hit and one walk over six scoreless innings. The gem came on the heels of a two-game stretch in which he had given up 13 runs over a combined nine innings. It’s never encouraging for fans to see the ERA of their team’s best pitcher (probably?) shoot from 2.25 to 4.61 in less than a week, but that’s what happened with Woo. Then came Wednesday, when he struck out nine against the Braves (26-12) - MLB’s winningest team this season entering Wednesday.

Abetting Woo’s performance was a solo home run from center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who seems to have shaken off much of his early-season rust. The three-time All-Star’s season stat line isn’t at the level that earned him points in past MVP voting, but considering his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) has jumped from .582 to .743 in the past three weeks, it’s trending upward.

The same was true of Cal Raleigh before an injury momentarily sidelined him three games. Josh Naylor, too, whose OPS climbed from .390 to .645 in three weeks.

And, of course, there is second baseman Cole Young, who went 3 for 4 Wednesday with a two-out, RBI double in the eighth to bolster what’s becoming a legitimate All-Star résumé.

The Braves hadn’t dropped a series all season. It might be weeks before they drop another one. But the M’s took two out of three from them - and it wasn’t luck. They were the better team.

That certainly doesn’t mean that all is right for a club that goes on maddening skids after stellar series wins or sweeps. There are certain statistical eyesores that are not improving.

One is with three-time All-Star starting pitcher Luis Castillo, holder of a 6.29 ERA. The other is with closer Andrés Muñoz, also a former All-Star, holder of a 6.00 ERA.

But both of the aforementioned hurlers have histories that suggest they should get back to something at least resembling their old selves.

There’s still a lot of good on this team … and a lot of mediocre in the division.

Seriously, the Astros simply don’t possess the amount of talent they had during their decade of dominance - and that’s taking into account their injuries. There’s a reason they’re 15-23. The Angels might have Mike Trout playing close to his old ways, but there’s little support there, either. They’re also 15-23. The 17-19 Rangers added little to a squad that finished .500 last season, and while the A’s’ lineup can leave a mark, their 4.68 ERA (26th in MLB) is close to what one might expect from that rotation.

In short: It makes sense for Mariners fans to be seething and scared after a subpar start. It’s on brand for an organization that seems to regularly disappoint when expectations are at their highest. But they are not in a division in which a rival is going to win 10 in a row and pull away. They are in one in which said rivals pile up losses perpetually to aid Seattle’s situation.

The Mariners still have the assets to finish with one of the best records in the American League this season. Don’t be surprised if a breakout run happens later this spring.

This, however, might be the year when just being good will be good enough. It’s not the most romantic storyline, but it is a real one.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 11:43 PM.