Sleeping on Seattle?

We’re almost there. Less than a week until the Yankees and Giants kick off the season on Netflix.

Scroll for allusions to 18th-century poetry, a Yankee lineup recap, and the vocal stylings of Chris Rose.

Drop a line to let us know your thoughts on Netflix Opening Day and we’ll run them in the next issue.

— Team TSN

The 2026 version of the Mariners looks like one of the most complete teams in baseball. Not perfect, but complete. They’ve got stars in the middle, depth around them, waves of pitching, and enough lineup flexibility to maneuver if anything goes sideways. That matters. In the American League, where nobody looks untouchable, Seattle is a team that can absolutely walk into October and win it all.

A smarter lineup: For a while, the Mariners felt like they were trying to score runs through gritted teeth. Too many empty at-bats, too much swing-and-miss, too much pressure on a couple guys to carry everything. Now the lineup actually fits together. Julio Rodríguez is still the hot-boy centerpiece, Cal Raleigh is coming off a one-of-one season, Randy Arozarena brings chaos in the best way, and Brendan Donovan is one of those players who just makes every lineup feel smarter.

SEA and Julio: Julio is already great, and somehow it still feels like there’s another level sitting right there. That’s the scary part for the rest of the league. The final numbers always get there because he gets hot eventually, but what happens if the heater starts in April instead of June? You’re talking about an MVP candidate, and Seattle goes from dangerous to a legitimate top-tier threat in the American League. He doesn’t need to become something new. He just needs to be himself a little earlier.

Cal Raleigh, Naylor, and the mighty middle: Big Dumper is one of the biggest swing-points on the roster, because repeating a historic catcher season is a huge ask. It’s fair to say that a merely great 35-homer season looks a little different than his monster 2025. That’s where Naylor matters so much. He fits. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and he gives the lineup some edge. Add Randy into that mix, and suddenly the Mariners don’t just have good players, they have a middle of the order with some teeth.

The rotation is still a monster: Most organizations would build their whole identity around a group like Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller, with Emerson Hancock waiting in the wings. It’s so absurd that we overlook it. Woo was a total rocket last year. Gilbert still feels like one of those guys who, if everything clicks, ends up holding a Cy Young. Kirby remains a pitching coach dream, the kind of guy whose feel for the craft jumps off the screen.

And about that bullpen: Andrés Muñoz has a real argument for best reliever in the sport when he’s right. Matt Brash gives them another weapon with ridiculous swing-and-miss. José Ferrer looks like one of those Seattle moves that’s going to age really well. Carlos Vargas would be a closer on many teams but in Seattle he’s just another guy in the mix. The Mariners can turn six-inning starts into wins and make the whole team feel a little bigger in close games.

Removing the albatross: The talent has been there for the Mariners. But now it could really gel. They’ve extended the right guys, made smart trades, filled real needs, and kept enough prospect capital around that they still have buttons to press if they need them. That’s how serious teams operate. But entering their 50th season this is the only franchise that has never made it to the World Series. Can they remove the albatross from their neck?

The Yankees led the MLB in team OPS+ and in home runs last year. Their lineup can hit, and compared to Opening Day 2025 it’s fair to say this year’s version is actually slightly improved with Ben Rice playing more regularly at first and McMahon, Caballero, and Rosario manning the left side of the infield.

Judgment Day: There’s almost nothing left to say about Aaron Judge, other than the fact that even a cold stretch barely moves the conversation. He can go quiet for a week and it’s still safer to bet on him than almost anyone in the sport. Around him, Cody Bellinger is one of the most important players on the roster because he does so much more than just drive the ball. The defense and his ability to extend at-bats lifts the team every day. And Trent Grisham is the most fascinating follow-up act on the team. The underlying stuff says the breakout was real, but only the super-elite live in that neighborhood every year.

Middle-out: Outside of the heart of the order, Ben Rice feels like one of the biggest swing pieces on the team. The Yankees clearly believe in him, and there’s reason to. The at-bats look more mature, more patient, more intentional. But Yankees fans have seen this movie before with first-base types. Jazz Chisholm is almost the opposite problem. The talent and electricity are loud, but there are times it feels like he needs to remember that he’s better at 70% than 100%. Austin Wells is the other key name here, because the Yankees can live with three-true-outcomes baseball from a catcher, but they need the on-base percentage to be better.

Starting on the bottom: This can’t be one of those Yankees lineups where the bottom third is just waiting around for the top to save it. Ryan McMahon is a huge part of that equation. The glove is easy to buy, but the bat has to do enough that he is not just a defensive specialist hiding in the eight-hole. When Oswaldo Cabrera is healthy, the hope is that he becomes a pest—forcing mistakes, stretching plays, turning chaos into extra bases, making every inning a little more annoying for the other team. Amed Rosario has a chance to force extra playing time, because he still feels like someone who can hit his way into more relevance if the third-base or shortstop situation gets shaky.

These guys aren’t youngsters anymore: Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe are probably the two most emotionally loaded hitters in the whole group. Domínguez still looks like a hitter worth believing in, especially from the left side, but the overall fit only works if he’s playable enough in the outfield. There isn’t some long-term DH lane waiting for him. Volpe, meanwhile, feels like a player who may actually need a reset more than another immediate push. At some point, tinkering around the edges stops being enough.