While the rest of Major League Baseball is kicking off its postseason battles, our Seattle Mariners are already neck-deep in the tough conversations about what the heck went wrong during the 2026 season and where the organization goes from here. It’s a gut punch for the Emerald City faithful to see other teams battling it out while we’re left dissecting failure.
Deep Dive: What Went Wrong in 2026?
The post-mortem on our 2026 Mariners season has already begun, and it’s not pretty. Ryan Blake has been busy dissecting every play, every decision, trying to pinpoint exactly what derailed our squad. Meanwhile, Adam Jude from The Seattle Times sat down with Mariners chairman John Stanton to talk all about the season’s disappointments and what the offseason outlook truly means for the club. It’s clear that tough questions are being asked at the top, and fans deserve answers. Even “the old wisdom” from The Feed is weighing in, pondering what “culture” even means for a baseball team when things aren’t clicking. If the brass is talking about culture, you know there’s more than just X’s and O’s to fix.
Around the League: Postseason Action and Big Decisions
While we’re all still smarting, the MLB postseason didn’t wait for us. Austin Riley delivered a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, pushing the Braves to a 5-3 Game 1 victory over the Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series. Over in the NL, the Padres jumped ahead in their very first at-bat and never looked back, shutting out the Cubs 8-0. In the AL Wild Card, the Yankees made quick work of the Red Sox with a dominant 9-0 drubbing in Game 1. The White Sox also grabbed their first playoff win since 2021, beating the Astros 6-3.
Beyond the playoff drama, we saw some big names hang up their cleats: All-Star closer Liam Hendriks announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the big leagues, and veteran infielder Tyler Wade also called it a career. In some wild news, Athletics infielder Zack Gelof is actually suing the Detroit Tigers for damages after he hurt his right knee on the Comerica Park fence. Off the field, the Twins are talking about “meaningfully invest[ing]” in their payroll this winter, which could shake things up in the AL. And for the sixth year running, MLB pitchers are throwing harder than ever, setting another record for highest average fastball velocity. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey even admitted the organization has a lot to learn after their June Pride Night debacle, and the Marlins are reportedly holding onto right-hander Sandy Alcantara this offseason. Renee Dechert at Purple Row even weighed in on whether MLB should build a ballpark at Grand Teton National Park, and the Fangraphs staff dropped their playoff predictions.
For us, though, all eyes are on the Mariners’ offseason moves. Chairman Stanton and the front office need to figure out what went wrong and deliver a plan to fix it. We need more than just talk; we need action to bring winning baseball back to T-Mobile Park.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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