Mariners fans are third-most optimistic in MLB in recent survey from The Athletic
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Mariners fans are third-most optimistic in MLB in recent survey from The Athletic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Mariners, coming into the 2026 MLB season, have a ton of reasons to be excited about the upcoming year.
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Their roster is in a good place after some big offseason moves, like the Brendan Donovan trade and Josh Naylor extension. But it goes beyond those offseason moves. The team is coming off a season where they made it further than they've ever made it in the playoffs.
An ALCS appearance, and plenty of star power in the lineup and rotation, along with a good bullpen, have Mariners fans, according to The Athletic's recent survey from Stephen J. Nesbitt, as the third-most optimistic team in all of Major League Baseball.
Mariners fanbase third-most optimistic in MLB
"3. Seattle Mariners: 95.7 percent optimism," Nesbitt shared for The Athletic. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (99.8%) and the Toronto Blue Jays (96.2%) placed higher than the Mariners fan base when it came to optimism for 2026.
This is a very strong contingent of the fanbase that's optimistic for the 2026 season, and for good reason.
They have the starting rotation to go head-to-head against any team in the Majors in a pitchers dual, and with a good bullpen, they can also hang around in close games once the starters come out.
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But that's not all. The lineup, headlined by offseason additions in Donovan and Naylor, along with Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Randy Arozarena, is one of the best in baseball.
After making it further than they've ever made it during last year's postseason, reaching one game away from the World Series, it makes sense why there is so much optimism about this Mariners team.
They should be a top contender, and are likely the favorites to come out of the AL West. It's a good time to be a Seattle sports fan, as the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and the Mariners look to be on the cusp of something just as great.
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