ESPN’s go-to MLB insider Jeff Passan explains why the Seattle Mariners are struggling in the 2026 season using stats and factual information.
The Seattle Mariners are just 4.5 games back from first place in the AL West, as the division is one of the most wide-open races in MLB. Although the playoffs are well within reach, it’s still been a rather miserable year for Seattle. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke down what’s going on with the franchise and how the team has played so poorly in 2026.
In the latest episode of the “Sources Tell Jeff” podcast, Passan goes over several stats that explain why the franchise has struggled this season. Between being dead last in several categories and being unable to produce runs when players are in scoring position, it’s no wonder the Mariners are spiraling.
“Since the beginning of the season, the Mariners have 462 runs, dead last in baseball. Since June 1st the Mariners have 207 runs, dead last in baseball,” Passan said. “There’s some bad batted ball luck here admittedly. They are last in all of baseball with .272 batting average on balls in play. Since 2012, when the Mariners last brought up the rear in scoring in baseball, the lowest scoring team has ranked 28th or worse in OPS+.
“The Mariners right now are 20th… But they have a WRC+ of 99. They’re almost league average,” Passan continued. “So, why can’t they score? Well, they’re not good on the base paths, but they’re particularly not good in clutch situations. The Mariners, with runners in scoring position this year, are batting .216. You want to talk about ugly.”
The Seattle Mariners were a chic World Series pick this year. Three-quarters of the way through the season, they are arguably the most disappointing team in baseball. What happened? pic.twitter.com/xqr0exGHGB
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 11, 2026
Seattle is 3-7 in its last 10 games and are currently on a four-game losing streak. With the Mariners in the final stretch of the season, the offense needs to improve drastically for a chance at winning the AL West.
The club will have a chance to right the ship on Tuesday. Seattle is scheduled to take on the New York Yankees in the first matchup of a three-game series.
The Seattle Mariners are just 4. 5 games back from first place in the AL West, as the division is one of the most wide-open races in MLB. Although the playoffs are well within reach, it’s still been a rather miserable year for Seattle. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke down what’s going on with the franchise and how the team has played so poorly in 2026.
