Preseason Preview Day 13: Seattle Mariners & San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners
Recently, the Mariners were able to snap the longest postseason drought in all of sports by breaking through and making a playoff appearance. However, that was cut pretty short, and they have not been back since. With a front office and ownership that has historically been willing to make moves and spend some money, it is a bit surprising that they have not taken the next step and become one of the premier teams in the AL.
Headlined by a young, deep starting rotation, there is no question what the strength of the Mariners is. Stacking George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and vet Luis Castillo up in the rotation is something that the Dodgers and MAYBE the Yankees can even think about matching up with. With these 4 young guys all proving their dominance, the Mariners have instantly turned into a hotbed of young pitching talent with others starting to clog up the minor leagues. Andres Munoz locks down the back end of the bullpen with Hagen Danner and Jackson Kowar looking to make a big impact in the back end of the bullpen. This rotation with a little league lineup would win some games, so if things go awry for the 2025 Mariners I do not suspect it being on the pitching.
By process of elimination, you can probably figure out why this team hasn’t been too successful. To put it nicely, the lineup struggled last year, even after making some trades to try and improve. Headlined by franchise aircraft carrier Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh will back him up to provide some pop behind their table setter. JP Crawford, Dylan Moore and Donovan Solano will complete the infield, with veterans Victor Robles and Mitch Haniger in the outfield and DHing, respectively. This is not the worst lineup we have previewed thus far, but it does look a lot similar to the 2024 lineup from mid-July forward. If they can somehow find a way to be a league average offense, I think the rest will handle itself.
Draftkings has the Mariners win total at 84.5. I am going to take the over on this because I have some faith in the lineup and feel that they have done things the right way as far as attempting a rebuild while not completely tanking away. Again, the AL West is not the most star-studded division, and with the Athletics & Angels still finding their ways, there are certainly some wins to be had out there.
San Francisco Giants
The once dominant Giants have been spinning their wheels for the better part of 10 years now. As one of the more storied franchises in baseball, big names were never hesitant to go out and play in the Bay. However, recent free agent fumbles have not played in their favor, be it the ‘Arson Judge’ botch job by Jon Heyman or the Carlos Correa failed physicals which backed them off from bringing him in.
As a change of pace, the Giants were able to bring in their guy this offseason in Willy Adames, signing him to the richest contract in franchise history. He will partner up with Matt Chapman to hold down the middle of the lineup and left side of the infield. Young infielders Tyler Fitzgerald and Lamont Wade Jr. look to build off fantastic 2024 campaigns, with veterans Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores anchoring the lineup for some added pop and on-base production. They are also bringing back, in my opinion, the best defensive catcher in baseball, Patrick Bailey, to hold down their rotation.
It is safe to say that similar to the Mariners, the Giants will be given some quality pitching over 162. With proven ace Logan Webb as their 1, they are returning recently converted starter and flamethrower Jordan Hicks as well as Robbie Ray. On top of that, they brough in future first ballot hall of famer Justin Verlander in hopes to catch lightning in a bottle from the best pitcher of the generation. Camillo Duvall, Ryan Walker and Tyler Rogers will hold down the back end of the bullpen, as all 3 guys have had some success at the big league level.
Draftkings has the Giants win total at 80.5, I am going to be an optimist here and take the over. For the first time in a long time, they have some star power in their lineup backed up by some young guys who are on the verge of becoming household names. I think Verlander and Robbie Ray bounce back a bit and provide real quality innings for the rotation. They will by no means be in the race for the division, but I think these Giants can muster up a .500 record.
