2025 Seattle Mariners Opening Day Primer

All the info you need to gear up for the 2025 season, Opening Day and beyond

The skies may still be cloudy in Seattle, but the promise of summer nights spent at the ballpark is whispering on the wind. Tonight the Mariners return to T-Mobile Park to kick off the 2025 season against the [cat=undefined] Athletics. Understandably, we know many fans looked at the Mariners’ inactive off-season, fresh off missing the playoffs for the second year in a row after the excitement of Cal Raleigh’s drought-busting homer, and decided to check out for the winter. Trust us, we get it. But beyond the general excitement of baseball beginning anew and the promise of warm summer nights that brings, the Mariners have reversed course on their lousy off-season with a few big swings that make it easier to feel warmly about the squad suiting up this Thursday. Here’s a crash course in the off-season with all the information you need to know to get up to speed.

Broadcast information:

In case you missed it, longtime voice of the Mariners Dave Sims has departed for a job calling Yankees games. Additionally, his broadcast partner, color commenter Mike Blowers, also won’t be returning this season. Aaron Goldsmith will now become the primary play-by-play announcer on TV, joined by a four-person rotation of Dave Valle, Jay Buhner, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Angie Mentink, who will become the first woman to have a regular role with the club doing color commentary.

On the radio, Gary Hill Jr. has been promoted to the analyst role, joining the veteran Rick Rizzs, back for his 35th season. Radio broadcasts will once again be aired on 710 AM Seattle Sports, as the Mariners and the station recently renewed their rights agreement.

On the television side, there’s been a seismic shift in how fans can watch the Mariners, with the team introducing a new streaming option. Read more about it here.

If you want to keep up with the Mariners’ farm system, MiLB TV will once again air broadcasts from every affiliate; MiLB TV is included with an MLB TV subscription, and there are no blackouts for Mariners affiliates. You can also stream audio via the MiLB app, and if you get 880 KIXI, you can listen to Tacoma Rainiers games, featuring the new voice of the Rainiers, Rylee Pay, who becomes the first woman play-by-play announcer at the Triple-A level.

If you’re going to a game:

Check out the new food and beverage options at the park here, including tips on how to save a little money. Also keep in mind the Mariners’ promo schedule to snag things like the Randy Arozarena Crossed Arms Hoodie, the Julio Bat Flip bobblehead, or the City Connect Captain’s Hat, and if you can get to a game during the week, check out the Value Game options, where you can get into the park for as low as $10.

You might notice something different on the Mariners’ uniforms this year: a red sleeve patch with the Nintendo logo. The Mariners announced their first-ever corporate sponsorship this year with Nintendo, something we’re hoping results in more money to spend on the team. Read more about it here.

The 2025 Seattle Mariners

Coaching Staff:

You’re probably already aware that the Mariners replaced longterm manager Scott Servais with franchise icon Dan Wilson late last season. Wilson returns to helm this year’s club again, along with the pitching staff, which returns to oversee the best pitching staff in the bigs. There are changes on the hitting side, as the Mariners brought in Kevin Seitzer from the Braves to oversee hitting, taking the place of Edgar Martinez, who is still with the club but in a reduced capacity. Seitzer brings with him his right-hand man Bobby Magallenes. You can read more about the hitting staff hires here, and a general overview of the coaching staff here.

Off-Season Moves:

Citing a sluggish market and their major adds of Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles mid-season last year, the Mariners were nearly still this off-season. They did shuffle the infield some: they declined to bring back third baseman Josh Rojas, who is now with the White Sox, and initially declined Jorge Polanco’s option before bringing him back on a smaller deal. They also added 37-year-old Donovan Solano to play the corner infield on a one-year deal. Right at the end of Spring Training, the Mariners also released longtime Mariner Mitch Haniger.

Technically an off-season move but coming in at the 11th hour, the Mariners announced an extension for their franchise cornerstone catcher Cal Raleigh. Read the details here.

The 26-Man Roster:

An NRI (non-roster invitee) made the club this year: slugging first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who was a late add to camp but impressed. Our 26-man roster prediction turned out to be accurate, so you can read an overview of every player on the roster here. You can also read a writeup on every player on the 40-man roster and their projections here.

You probably already know that George Kirby will be starting the season on the IL with shoulder inflammation; taking his place in the rotation for now will be Emerson Hancock, who showed off some new pitches this spring and had a solid spring campaign. Relievers Matt Brash and Troy Taylor will also start the season on the IL, but both have started throwing and are targeting a May return, maybe even earlier in the case of Taylor.

The Farm System:

One thing about standing pat this off-season is the Mariners were able to keep their top-ranked farm system intact. The big name to know is infielder Cole Young, who is the highest-ranked prospect who is also closest to the bigs. Third baseman Ben Williamson is not the most highly ranked player in the system, but had a very impressive spring, showing solid plate discipline, an ability to make consistent contact, and impeccable defense at the hot corner. Pitchers Logan Evans and Brandyn García are also close to making their big-league debuts. The Mariners’ most exciting talent is in the lower levels of the system, though, including shortstop Colt Emerson, titanic slugger Lazaro Montes, and hit machine Michael Arroyo. Beyond them, silky-smooth shortstop Felnin Celesten and potential five-tool player Jonny Farmelo provide even more interest. Read writeups on our top-ranked 25 players here, as well as some honorable mentions.

If you want to know more about the minor leagues, you can watch the games on MiLB TV, included with your MLB TV subscription. We’ll also be previewing every minor-league affiliate leading up to Opening Day; Tacoma gets started on Friday the 28th, and the rest of the leagues will start up on May 4. Read up on Tacoma’s squad here.

But What Are Their Chances?

We know, this is the part you really care about. For starters, take a look around our AL West Preview series, where we analyze each of the other AL West squads in terms of Pitching, Position Players, Prospects, and Prognosis, stacking them up against the Mariners. Most outlets have the AL West in a virtual three-way tie between the Mariners, Rangers, and Astros, but the A’s are a popular sleeper pick due to their young, powerful lineup. Moreover, the American League in general is seen as a wide-open race, after the Yankees suffered some injuries to key players, adding even more intrigue.

Also, every time the Mariners start a new series, we’ll have a preview of the matchup, looking over the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, along with a recap of the standings in the AL West, and, when and if applicable, details about the playoff race for scoreboard-watching purposes. You can get that started right now with the preview of the Opening Weekend series against the A’s.

Bookmark Lookout Landing and check back often during the season for all your Seattle Mariners news and analysis. Also, if you prefer hearing news, or simply like podcasts, our site-affiliated podcast is called Meet at the Mitt, and we’d love if you would subscribe and listen to us there. Welcome back, baseball.