Seattle Mariners: 4 reasons for making the playoffs and 4 against it.
Dylan Moore, Seattle Mariners.
2. Competition is falling apart
The Astros came into this year needing some luck on the mound. However, with Justin Verlander likely out all year along with Yordan Alvarez and Roberto Osuna. Current injuries to Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman could be extremely detrimental to the team. The Yankees have a similarly damning injury report, and the Blue Jays just lost their hottest bat in Teoscar Hernandez indefinitely.
3. Enough depth to survive
The Seattle Mariners, on the other hand, have strength in their depth. Despite trading away several pieces at the deadline, they have been able to add depth. Players such as Kyle Seager, J.P. Crawford, and Kyle Lewis are the headline makes, but the role players like Dylan Moore have been just as important.
Seattle currently has a large number of rookie players on its roster who can easily be replaced by the legions of talent in Tacoma. While several teams are running on fumes, the Mariners can maintain their current level of play and refuel from Tacoma when necessary.
Favorable short-term schedule
This recent run has mainly come at the expense of non-playoff teams. The schedule continues with more games against teams like Arizona, and San Francisco, into mid-September. If the Mariners can continue their successful run against below .500 teams, they will situate themselves among the top eight in the AL. Also, the M’s can build some confidence for when the schedule gets more challenging.
However, perhaps none of this matters.