The Seattle Mariners’ 2025 season could be one of the most crucial in recent memory.

In 2024, the Mariners missed the playoffs for the 22nd time in 23 years. For the fourth year in a row, they found out their playoff fate during the final week of the regular season.

Seattle resolved the technical staff problem with several hirings and departures officially announced in a press release Tuesday. But there are still some questions regarding the list.

One thing that likely won’t change between now and Opening Day, March 27, 2024, is that the starting rotation will be elite.

Barring an unsuspected trade, the Mariners will return a group of starting pitchers that was arguably the best in baseball in 2024.

Leading this rotation will be Logan Gilbert.

Gilbert will enter 2025 after being selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in 2024. He finished sixth in the American League Cy Young voting and was named a finalist for Most Outstanding Pitcher in the MLB Players’ Choice Awards.

Gilbert finished 2024 with a 3.23 ERA and joined the 200 innings/200 strikeouts club with 220 batters fanned in 208.2 innings pitched. Of Gilbert’s 33 starts leading the team, 22 were quality.

After Gilbert’s excellent 2024, popular website FanGraphs has him maintain a similar shape in 2025, according to their ZiPS projection model.

Gilbert posted a 4.1 fWAR (FanGraphs WAR) in 2024 and the ZiPS projections model allows him to post a 4.0 fWAR in 2025.

Gilbert is expected to start one fewer game in 2025 than in 2024 and fall slightly short of a back-to-back 200/200 season. The ZiPS model has him finishing with a 3.29 ERA with 190 strikeouts in 189 innings pitched.

The model projects the pitching staff to take a step back as a whole. The same predictions have Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller both posting ERAs above 3.50 after having ERAs below 3.00 in 2024. They also have Gilbert and George Kirby as the only pitchers starting 30 or more games after that. four pitchers started 30 or more games for the team in 2024.

Gilbert will enter 2025 as the undisputed No. 1 pitcher in the rotation, in image and perception if not in practice. Even if the rotation regresses, as FanGraphs predicts, his consistency and performance will likely help the group maintain its status as one of the best in the sport.

MARINERS FORMALLY ANNOUNCE HIRING OF SEITZER AND OTHER COACHING MOVES: The Seattle Mariners have confirmed reports that a longtime and accomplished Atlanta Braves coach will join the coaching staff for 2025. CLICK HERE

THE MARINERS HIRE BRAVE HITTING COACH IN THE SAME ROLE: The Seattle Mariners have hired longtime Atlanta Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer as hitting coach, while Edgar Martinez will oversee the overall hitting program, according to reports. CLICK HERE

POPULAR BASEBALL VENUE PROJECTS REBOUNCE 2025 FOR JULIO RODRIGUEZ: The face of the Seattle Mariners franchise could see a rebound in 2025, according to ZiPS projections from FanGraphs. CLICK HERE

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