SEC Bats Aplenty: Analyzing Mariners’ First Six ‘26 Draft Picks
The Mariners had the luxury of an obvious first-round choice last year in the form of Kade Anderson, a relatively complete left-handed pitching prospect out of LSU, with the third pick of the draft. The team had no such clear option this year, however, as the thin crop of sure-thing prospects were already gone by the time the M’s had a pick.
But that is usually the case for any team making picks in this sport. The players the Mariners got are nowhere near sure things, all in need of development but all with defined profiles for the M’s to build upon. Of the first six picks the Mariners made - four on Saturday and the first two (out of 16) on Sunday - five are hitters and three of those hitters are (currently) third basemen. All six of these early picks are coming into the system from college, five (all of the hitters) from an SEC school.
Seattle certainly wasn’t bucking early trends with the hitting selections, as teams across the league tapped batting talent in the early rounds. But regardless of trends and overall initial valuation consensus, the M’s (like most teams) view their picks as big swings with big (even if unlikely) potential.
“As Jerry (Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations) told me when I first took this job: he says, ‘every draft, you just think it’s like a 3-1 count: if it’s there, swing; if it’s not, don’t,’ and we stayed the course with that,” said Mariners scouting director Scott Hunter.
What do these players bring with them to the Seattle farm system, and what might be expected of them as they begin their professional careers?
24th overall: 3B Ace Reese, 21 years old, Mississippi State, $3.5 million (under slot value) signing bonus.
Baseball America overall grades: 55, average risk, 45 adjusted.
Other future value (FV) estimations: 45, high risk (FanGraphs); 45 (Over-Slot).
Three Burning Questions for Mariners at All-Star Break
The Seattle Mariners, along with the rest of MLB, have completed the unofficial "first half" of the 2026 season. The baseball world focuses on Philadelphia over the next few days as the All-Star festivities begin in the City of Brotherly Love. The Mariners enter the break one game below .500 at 48-49. It certainly has been a frustrating, uneven first half of a season where the team, and its fans, felt a berth to the franchise's first ever World Series was at hand.
Nothing in this beautiful, amazing, dumb sport is that simple. Now, the Mariners have serious questions. Ones that need addressing if the Mariners are to even make the playoffs at all, much less punch their ticket to the Fall Classic.
Are Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor ever going to snap out of it?
The fact that the Mariners are in a playoff spot (tied for last Wild Card spot) despite getting virtually nothing from Raleigh and Naylor is a minor miracle. They are batting a combined .218 with just 17 homers combined. For reference, these two sluggers had - you might want to sit down for this - 49 home runs before the All-Star break. After Naylor arrived at the deadline last season, he was an instant spark and the deal he signed to stay in Seattle long term seemed like a no-brainer.
Spanish Guard Commits to Washington State to Round Out 2026-27 Roster
Washington State basketball picked up another commitment on Wednesday, as Spanish guard Pedro Sancho Moraga officially signed with the Cougars, becoming the final addition to David Riley's 2026-27 roster.
The 6-1 Sancho Moraga heralds from Valencia, Spain, and spent last season at the Academy of Central Florida after developing through Valencia Basket Academy and later playing for Zentro C.B.'s junior team in Madrid.
There are no publicly available statistics from his season at the Academy of Central Florida. However, during the 2024-25 season while playing professionally in Spain at just 17 years old, Sancho Moraga averaged 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 15 games. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but Washington State's coaching staff is betting on his potential rather than immediate production.
Cassie Miller Shines, Reign Top Thorns 2-0 to Split Cascadia Series
The Seattle Reign came into Sunday's rematch with their vaunted rival Portland Thorns at 4-6-2 and losers of four of their last five games.
But records never matter in the biggest grudge match in the NWSL, and Seattle proved it by delivering the Thorns their only shutout loss of the season to place Portland at 8-4-3 in a 2-0 win. Seattle moved up to 10th place with the win, still three points out of a top-eight playoff spot with a game in hand over the Orlando Pride.
Reserve keeper Cassie Miller, in for the second straight week for injured star Claudia Dickey (ankle), had the game of her life to earn the clean sheet. Miller tabbed nine saves in front of nearly 15,000 fans - Seattle's fourth-highest attendance figure in any match. It marked the full circle of a story for the 31-year-old that featured a leg injury which forced her to miss most of the 2025 season.
Also rounding out a comeback story was right back Ryanne Brown. Brown tore her ACL during the 2024 season, prompting her to miss all of 2025 and play just 22 minutes total in 2026 in the lead-up to Sunday.
She earned her first start with typical starter Madison Curry (ankle) out with an injury, and scored an incredible long distance goal to open the scoring. Maddie Mercado doubled the advantage later in the first half while Miller endured 10 shots on frame to seal a 2-0 win.
Head coach Laura Harvey, who hasn't had much to smile about on the field lately, put this game up there with any of Seattle's performances in 2026.
"It was probably the closest to the best 90-minute performance that I can probably remember since (the 2-1 win) over Orlando (in March)," Harvey said. "Really proud of the group."
Chants of "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Thorns on the top!" rang out as time wound down on a picture perfect day - one that could turn Seattle's season around.
Bullpen Rises to Occasion as Mariners Snap Five-Game Skid, Take Series Finale From Rays
Finally putting an end to their losing ways, the Seattle Mariners’ offense showed up early and the bullpen delivered a brilliant performance in a resounding 8-2 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays, salvaging the series finale to avoid the sweep going into the All-Star break.
The Mariners needed to use seven pitchers to secure the win due to a scary first inning injury to starter Emerson Hancock that resulted in him exiting the contest an inning later. The offense picked the ‘pen up, however, plating seven runs by the fourth inning, and eight runs overall.
It was a rare complete team performance by Seattle, and manager Dan Wilson hopes to get some key players back from injury coming out of the break while building off his team’s lights-out execution as the season marches towards the playoffs.
“Talk about a team effort from top to bottom today,” Wilson said afterward.
Ranking Seahawks: Emmanuel Henderson Jr. Aims to Impress With Elite Speed, Special Teams Traits Atop No. 55-51
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Continuing with No. 55-51 on my annual rankings, a dynamic rookie receiver hopes to cut his teeth on special teams as he did at the college level, while three veterans entering the final year of their contract will face pressure to stick on the 53.
Instant Takeaways: Self-Inflicted Wounds Doom Storm vs. Mystics
Natisha Hiedeman’s career-high 31 points weren’t enough for the Seattle Storm in another turnover-plagued 84-79 loss to the Washington Mystics on Sunday, July 12, at CareFirst Arena.
Hiedeman was as good as she’s ever been, but the Storm didn’t get consistent offense across the board. Dominique Malonga (10 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for Seattle (6-19), which dropped to 2-11 on the road this season.
Washington (11-10) got 27 points from Shakira Austin, 19 from Sonia Citron and 12 from Kiki Iriafen. The Mystics have been used to winning close games, and they showed how battle-tested they are against the Storm.
However, in the end, it was the Storm’s turnovers and missed opportunities that doomed them in this game.
Mariners Searching for Answers After 6-1 Loss to Rays Extends Florida Losing Streak to Five Games
Enduring a horrifying road trip to the Sunshine State, the Seattle Mariners continue to frustrate their fan base as they fell flat again in their 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. Poor luck, situational hitting, and an abnormal dud from ace Logan Gilbert made for a lackluster performance at Tropicana Field.
Gilbert allowed nine hits and two walks, but in his defense, he exited the game having only given up two runs to that point. He did leave runners on first and second as reliever Gabe Spier proceeded to give up a three-run blast on the first pitch he threw. That promptly put the game well out of reach for a Mariners team that has been struggling offensively as of late.
Continuing a season-long trend, Seattle had no issues with reaching base. They put 10 batters on, but their issues arose getting them home once again. The Mariners went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position (RISP) Saturday, bringing their five-game road trip total to a shocking 2-for-38 (.053).
Once a division favorite, the Mariners now sit two games back in the AL West at 47-49. No matter the outcome of the series finale on Sunday, they will enter the All-Star break below .500, an astonishing outcome considering their expectations heading into the year.
Seahawks to Be Sold to Group Led by Vinod, Neal Khosla for Record $9.6 Billion
Just a few weeks away from the start of training camp, the Seattle Seahawks will soon have a new ownership group calling the shots after a record-setting investment to purchase the franchise.
As confirmed by the Estate of Paul G. Allen, a sale agreement has been reached with an ownership group fronted by the Khosla family, including entrepreneur Vinod Khosla, making them the controlling owners of the franchise once the purchase has been finalized. While the Seahawks did not reveal any specifics on the finances behind the deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham reported the Seahawks will be sold for a record $9.6 billion, the most for any sports franchise.
"We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” Vinod Khosla said on behalf of the Khosla family in a released statement from the Seahawks. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
Mario Saint-Supery Shockingly Leaves Gonzaga, Plans to Play With Valencia in Spain
Up until two months ago, Gonzaga was able to dream of deploying a starting backcourt of Mario Saint-Supéry and Jack Kayil for the 2026-27 season. Now in mid-July, neither player is on the roster.
Saint-Supéry, who appeared in all 35 games for the Zags last year and started in 17, announced Saturday that he was leaving Spokane to play for Valencia Basket back in his home country of Spain.
This decision is truly shocking for the Bulldogs. Not only is it crushing to lose your starting point guard this late in the offseason, but it is compounded by Kayil’s decision to stay in the NBA Draft process in May. Gonzaga will likely attempt to replace Saint-Supéry with another international player or resort to the traditional transfer portal. Still, options are severely limited with just four months to go until the regular season.
Analysis: Torrent Add Elite Scoring, Defensive Depth at 2026 PWHL Draft
Continuing to overhaul their roster going into their second season as a franchise, the Seattle Torrent added an elite goal scorer, solid defensive depth, fun swings on forwards, and a flier on an Italian goalie at the 2026 PWHL Draft.
General manager Meghan Turner used all six of her picks in the draft, not moving around the board at all. Behind the clear second-overall pick in Abbey Murphy, Turner still made worthwhile additions. Hopefully the prospects can help the Torrent, who finished last in the PWHL and had the league’s worst goals-against, to a better 2026-27 season performance.
Scouts generally liked the Torrent additions. The Hockey News graded the draft an ‘A,’ because “their roster already looks far more solid than last season, which is saying a lot given the losses they suffered in expansion and the high expectations they had in year one.”
Who did the Torrent land in their second-ever draft and how does each member of the six-player class fit into their plans?
Mariners Drop Fourth Straight as Randy Arozarena Mishap Causes Tension
The Mariners are back under .500, with a 47-48 record nearly 60% of the way through the year, reeling from their fourth straight loss in Florida on Friday, this time by a score of 7-2. With the result, the Rays have won 12 of their last 16, while the M’s have lost 10 of their last 16.
The first inning was something of a microcosm of the way these two teams entered the game, one with tons of fight and firepower and the other limping along. The final line from that frame of zero runs for either team was reached two starkly different ways: from the Mariners, it was three ground ball outs, but for the Rays, it was a double, a walk, and an infield single to create a pickle for Mariners starter Luis Castillo.
Its greatest and most obvious microcosm was the defense. J.P. Crawford, on the first pitch of the game, dribbled a ball up the middle that Rays second baseman Richie Palacios snared on a falling run. Meanwhile, in the bottom half, the selfsame Crawford was unable to make a play on a ground ball hit directly his way and created the aforementioned infield single.
The obvious example of completely preventable defensive damage was when Randy Arozarena slowed to a trot on a fifth inning foul ball that was extremely catchable, after which Rays hitter Cedric Mullins cracked a home run to put the Rays up 3-1. That moment had infinitely more impact on the course of the game than what I’m about to describe - and caused plenty of tension between Arozarena and starter Luis Castillo - but there was another moment that summed up the energy (or lack thereof) among the Mariners.
Kraken the Ice: Could Seattle Explore Reunion With Original Team Member?
Armed with ample cap space coming out of the draft, even following the initial waves of free agency, the Seattle Kraken still have the resources in place to make several moves to improve their roster. Could bringing back a member of the inaugural team be in the cards?
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee dives into Seattle's cap situation and why it is time for the franchise to take action, including potentially bringing back Carson Soucy, before revisiting Shane Wright trade rumors and investigating two teams that could make the most sense to maximize their return for the former No. 4 overall pick.
Precursory Interest or Not, Seahawks Should Just Say No to Terrion Arnold
Under the leadership of general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks have employed the philosophy of “chasing edges,” always looking for new ways to find advantages compared to the rest of the league in everything from practice field prep to film study to exploring free agent possibilities to improve the roster.
That mindset has been instrumental to the franchise’s rapid re-ascent to NFC powerhouse, culminating in a Super Bowl LX victory over the Patriots in February to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. At this point, nobody should question Schneider or Macdonald when they contemplate ways to continue improving and evolving with the goal of staying a step ahead of the rest of the league.
But there’s always a line in the sand that shouldn’t be crossed. And the Seahawks may now be flirting too much with crossing that very line.
According to the player’s agent Nicole Lynn, who testified at a hearing for her client on Friday morning, free agent cornerback Terrion Arnold has received interest from four teams about potentially signing him as he faces felony charges in Tampa, Florida. Among the four teams she cited, the Seahawks apparently have inquired about the former first round pick, along with the Texans, Colts, and the Jets, with Houston reportedly bringing him in for a physical on Friday.
An additional report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated Arnold will visit with two more teams next week, though specifics on which teams have not come to light. It remains to be seen whether or not Seattle will be one of those two teams that brings him into the building.
WATCH: Recapping Sounders GM Craig Waibel Presser Ahead of Summer Transfer Window
With the July 13 summer transfer window set to hit MLS soon, Seattle Sounders general manager Craig Waibel spoke with media on Thursday to clear up some logistics as the 7-3-3 team continues its season next week against Portland.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the biggest takeaways from a rare availability with the Rave Green shot-caller.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Set Multiple Season Lows in Loss To Dream
The turnover-prone Seattle Storm were unable to keep their winning ways on the road in an 89-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, July 9, at the Gateway Center.
Atlanta (13-9) snapped its five-game losing skid with the victory over Seattle (6-18), who are now an even 3-3 over their last six games. The Dream also got even in the season series after the Storm won the first matchup, 105-90, on June 27.
Allisha Gray had a game-high 22 points for the Dream, but Rhyne Howard (19 points), Angel Reese (18) and Jordin Canada (14) also scored in double figures. Reese logged a double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Storm were led by Natisha Hiedeman’s 20 points. Dominique Malonga added 15 points and nine rebounds, followed by Flau’jae Johnson’s 14 points.
Gonzaga Baseball Adds Division II Product Josiah Rodriguez to Supplement Lineup
In the wake of former Bulldog and back-to-back WCC Player of the Year Mikey Bell transferring to the University of Georgia, the Zags were at work in search of his possible replacement.
Infielder Josiah Rodriguez, who spent the last two years at Point Loma Nazarene, has committed to Gonzaga baseball. Primarily spending time at the hot corner for the Sea Lions, Rodriguez was a second-team Pacific West Conference selection in 2026, being a major contributor to PLNU’s run to the DII College World Series. Now, he hopes to supplement the middle of the Bulldogs’ order as they transition to the revamped Pac-12.
WATCH: Analyzing Mariners’ Triple-A Power Prospect Lazaro Montes
On a rapid ascent up the farm system ladder for the Seattle Mariners, Lazaro Montes has been ripping the cover off the baseball from Everett to Arkansas and now will take his talents to the final stop before making it to the big league level.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Callaghan Bluechel explores Montes’ journey from Cuba to top prospect with the Mariners and profiles his talents as he gears up for his latest stop with the Tacoma Rainiers on the fast track to making the big league club.
Ranking Seahawks: Special Teams Aces Vying for Roster Spots Headline No. 60-56
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Continuing with No. 60-56 on my annual rankings, two core special teamers will look to lock up spots on the roster and a pair of second-year linemen have sights on expanded roles in the trenches.
Mariners Lose Batting Fight in Spite of Strong Glovework, Drop Series to Marlins
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” It’s one of those quotes that is older than its normal attribution (in this case, Dwight Eisenhower). Today’s common formulation of the phrase may indeed trace back to a coach at the University of Washington back in the late 1920s, but as with so many things that are said before they are written, its true origin lies somewhere in the primordial mud of history.
Many on the Mariners - especially skipper Dan Wilson - often discuss the team’s fight and willingness to claw back from adversity. But the defining moment of the team’s 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday was its very end: with both ABS challenges available and two outs in the top of the ninth, Cole Young watched a 2-2 pitch outside get called strike three to end the game. He did not issue a challenge, simply hanging his head in shame as he walked back to the dugout. The brief window of time to get his team a lifeline passed quickly.
“I think sometimes that's not the first thing that pops into your head in that kind of a situation,” Wilson said, “but you still have to remind yourself sometimes about the ABS.”
But as they say - once is a happenstance, twice is a coincidence, and thrice is a pattern. The Mariners have had games like Wednesday’s, where players across the lineup leave things on the table, plenty more times than that in 2026. If the players aren’t clawing and biting and fighting for every inch, if that aspect of the game is not a habit, then how deep of a well of resolve do the M’s really have? If the guy up at the plate with two outs in the ninth inning isn’t aware that the team has both challenges, how much water is this ship leaking?
The fight didn’t show up on offense, at least, though the M’s defense bailed themselves out of worse trouble. In a way, it was an inverse of Tuesday’s series opener when late action from the Mariners bats wasn’t enough to counteract the team’s defensive sluggishness. It was a loss all the same.
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