4 obvious changes the Mariners must make immediately to avoid disaster
The Mariners are doing great work treading water in 2025. However, these four adjustments could be the difference between contending and collapsing.
The Seattle Mariners have managed to tread water through the first month of the 2025 season, hovering just above .500 despite a roster that’s been anything but stable.
With injuries piling up and some roles still unsettled, the Mariners have relied on grit, timely hitting, and the occasionally strong pitching to stay in the mix. They’re finding ways to win — particularly in tight games — and deserve credit for weathering the early turbulence.
However, nearly every game feels like a coin flip. The margin for error is razor-thin, and while the Mariners have come out on the right side of several nail-biters, that kind of luck rarely holds up across a full season.
To avoid slipping from contention, this team needs to make a few critical adjustments. Here are four obvious changes the Mariners must make now to stay competitive and prevent an early-season collapse.
It’s time for the Mariners to move J.P. Crawford to the leadoff spot
The Mariners might be sitting on an easy lineup fix — and it starts with J.P. Crawford. After a brutal start to the season where he was mired in a slump that had his batting average sitting under the Mendoza Line, Crawford has quietly caught fire at the plate. Over the course of his last eight games, he’s raised his batting average nearly 100 points, climbing from .163 to .260. More importantly, he’s getting on base at a .400 clip this season.
It made sense to have Crawford in the nine-hole when Victor Robles was healthy and operating as a spark plug. But with Robles sidelined and the Mariners rotating Dylan Moore and Julio Rodríguez at the top of the order based on matchups, an opportunity has opened — and Crawford would be the right fit.
Unlike Moore, who can be streaky, or Rodríguez, whose profile plays better in the two or three-hole, Crawford offers on-base stability where it’s a righty or a lefty on the mound. He’s shown an ability to grind out at-bats, spoil pitches, and draw walks — traits you want setting the tone early. He may not have elite speed, but what he lacks on the basepaths, he more than makes up for in consistency, plate discipline, and a growing confidence at the dish.
If Seattle is serious about manufacturing offense and creating more traffic ahead of its middle-of-the-order hitters, bumping Crawford to the leadoff spot could be the underrated tweak that helps stabilize the offense.
