The 2025 Major League Baseball season is underway for the Seattle Mariners following
an unusually quiet offseason. After ending the 2024 season on a sour note, finishing 85-77 and missing the playoffs by one game for the second consecutive year, fans expected the team to make some much needed improvements to get over that hump. Instead, with rumors swirling and in a seller’s market, the Mariners did not spend on a top free agent bat nor acquire one via trade, instead deciding to keep their top 5 starters in Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Luis Castillo; one of the best and most
formidable five man rotations in the league and in recent memory.
A familiar face returning to the team is Jorge Polanco, who quietly posted a .740 OPS in the
2nd half of 2024. He will be changing positions from second to third base, replacing the non-tendered Josh Rojas. Taking over responsibilities for Polanco at second base will be 25-year-old Ryan Bliss, who hit .269 with 25 doubles and 12 home runs in 93 games for the Triple-A affiliate Tacoma Rainiers. Bliss was initially acquired in exchange for closing pitcher Paul Sewald at the trade deadline in 2023, along with outfielder Dominic Canzone and Rojas. Additional notable moves in spring training include outfielder Mitch Haniger being designated for assignment, and first baseman Rowdy Tellez earning an opening day roster spot.
The newest Mariner is Donovan Solano, a 12-year MLB veteran now on his 7th club. Solano
has never been a full-time starter, nor will he likely be in Seattle. However, the infielder has
proven to be an effective platoon option against left-handed pitching, which the Mariners struggled to hit against in 2024. Solano has played most of his games defensively at second base, but he also has MLB experience as a first and third baseman. This makes him a player who can provide extra value and be used in various in-game situations. In the last 4 years, Solano has had a batting average of .280 or slightly above across an 80+ game sample. In that same timespan (since the 2021 season), Solano has a total batting average of .296 against left-handed pitching. The Mariners won the first game of the season 4-2 against the newly relocated Las Vegas Athletics on March 27th, 2025. Both teams were held scoreless until the top of the 5th inning, where the Athletics first baseman, Tyler Soderstrom, drove a pitch from Logan Gilbert 432 feet to center field to make it 1-0 A’s. That would be the only blemish on Gilbert’s otherwise outstanding outing. Going seven strong innings, giving up just two hits and zero walks while striking out eight batters en route to earning the win. Following a sacrifice fly by outfielder Victor Robles in the bottom 7, the Mariners would tie the game at 1-1; but Soderstrom had other plans as he sent
yet another homer out of the yard in the 8th, this time off of reliever Trent Thornton. However, the home team refused to be demoralized as outfielder Randy Arozarena blasted a pitch from José Leclerc 424 feet to tie the game at 2-2 in the 8th. Outfielder and first baseman Luke Raley took a walk, then Leclerc threw a fastball in the middle of the plate to Polanco, who drove it 413 feet over the center field wall to give the Mariners a 4-2 lead, electrifying the home crowd. The score remained the same as closing pitcher Andrés Muñoz faced the minimum in the 9th to earn the save. The Mariners will look to build off this intense opening day victory and hope it leads to more success in 2025.
The Mariners will have three more “College Nights” on Fridays in 2025 with tickets as low as $10, including a limited edition neon hat giveaway on May 9th. The remaining dates are April 25th, May 9th, and May 30th. The deadline to purchase tickets is 12:00 PM on the game day.
Additionally, there will be a special “PLU at the Park” night for current students, alumni,
and faculty on Saturday, June 14th, featuring a special Mariners-themed PLU shirt while supplies last. You can redeem your giveaway shirt by bringing your ticket to section 339 before the end of the 3rd inning. Sizing is first-come, first-served.
