2020 MLB Seattle Mariners World Series Odds & Picks

Seattle’s Playoff Drought will Extend to 19 Years in 2020

It’s going to be another long year in the Emerald City. Seattle is in the process of bottoming out, and while the future is promising, the present is dim. The Mariners went from an 89-win team in 2018 to a 68-win team last season, and further decline is expected in 2020.

Seattle will likely trade Kyle Seager and Dee Gordon at some point this season in order to acquire more prospects for their rebuild, leaving this team largely barren in terms of major league talent.

2020 Seattle Mariners World Series
Betting Online Odds at FanDuel: +50000

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 Seattle Mariners
Season World Series Odds Overview

Seattle is one of several teams that is considered extremely unlikely to win the World Series. The Mariners are tied with seven teams as the squads with the longest odds to win the World Series at 500-1 at FanDuel, so don’t expect to see this team be remotely competitive in 2020.

American League West

The Mariners are projected to be the worst team in the AL West by a mile. Seattle has odds of 150-1 to win the division at FanDuel, and the only other team expected to finish below .500 is Texas. Houston and Oakland are both still very good squads, while the Angels spent a ton this offseason to try to surround Mike Trout with a winner.

On the Hill

The best pitcher on this staff is Marco Gonzales. Gonzales has been an above average pitcher each of the last two seasons, posting a nearly identical ERA in 2018 and 2019. He has not been sharp against left-handed hitters though, and he has lost some of the speed on his fastball. Gonzales registered a 6.5 K/9 in 2019, so he must have command of his off-speed stuff to continue to be effective.

Yusei Kikuchi might be the second-best pitcher on the staff, and that’s alarming considering the numbers he posted in 2019. Kikuchi was 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA in his first season in the major leagues, and that’s usually when Japanese pitchers are at their best since hitters aren’t used to their deliveries. He did have decent control with a walk rate of 2.8 walks per nine innings, but he gave up a whopping 36 home runs in 161.2 innings and posted a 1.515 WHIP.

Seattle hasn’t had much success developing young pitchers this decade, but the Mariners are hoping they can buck that trend with Justus Sheffield. The youngster was unimpressive in seven starts last season though, and hitters teed off on all three of his best pitches. He must make more batters miss to be effective, as he will likely post poor numbers again unless he has over a 9.0 K/9 rate.

At the Plate

Seager has hit at least 20 home runs in each of his eight seasons since entering the major leagues, but he was not able to hit for average in 2019. The third baseman could only muster a .239 batting average, and that played into a sub-.800 OPS for the veteran. However, he ended up being one of the best hitters on the team since the whole lineup lacked power, and Seager will be one of the top players on the Mariners in 2020.

Daniel Vogelbach has become a poor man’s Adam Dunn. Vogelbach was the best power hitter on the Mariners last year with a team-high 30 home runs, but he could only manage to hit .208 and struck out 149 times. The designated hitter was largely boom or bust with almost half his hits being either doubles or dingers, so the key for Vogelbach is to raise his batting average and lower his strikeout rate.

Mallex Smith is one of the most dangerous runners in the American League, but his inability to get on base is a serious problem. Smith posted a paltry .300 OBP last season, and he showed little power either with a .635 OPS. He led the AL with 46 steals, but he must register more successful at-bats to get on the basepaths.

2020 Seattle Mariners World Series Projection

There is no way for Seattle to compete for the World Series in 2020. The Mariners have some talented young players on the farm, but the future is the focus for this team.

2020 Seattle Mariners World Series Free Pick:
Not a chance

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+