How Mariners have unexpectedly path to making MLB postseason in 2026

The Seattle Mariners are currently 64-74 entering September. They're well under .500 on the season, but they only sit 5.5 games back in the American League Wild Card, and 6.0 games back in the AL West.

Even with such a poor record and rough overall season up until this point, the Mariners still have a chance to make the postseason. But how good are those playoff odds for Seattle? Well, they're unexpectedly not terrible.

As ESPN's Alden Gonzalez highlighted, the Mariners' final 24 games of the 2026 MLB season are, for the most part, against teams they should be able to beat. It's an easy schedule for Seattle, and one that should have them in contention for the AL West.

Mariners' easy schedule to close 2026 season should have them as serious postseason contenders

"Of their final 22 games, 17 are against the lowly Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies," Gonzalez writes. "The other five will be against the Texas Rangers and Astros, the two teams the Mariners are still chasing in their division."

The Mariners begin September with two more games against the Boston Red Sox, followed by a four-game series against the Athletics. While Boston is a tough matchup, the A's have been terrible and should be beatable for the Mariners.

Then they face the Texas Rangers for three games in Seattle, which will be a very important series in their pursuit of a postseason spot.

After that, they go on a long nine-game, three-series road trip. But fortunately, it's the easiest road trip a team in MLB could have this season.

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Three games against the Athletics, three against the Los Angeles Angels, and three against the Colorado Rockies close out the Mariners' road games this regular season.

The Angels and Athletics are 53-85 while the Rockies are 52-86; no other team in baseball has fewer than 57 wins than the three the Mariners face in their final road trip.

To close out their 2026 season, the Mariners have two home games against the Astros that could be the deciding factor in the AL West race before four more games against the Angels.

Seattle has an unexpectedly easy path to the postseason this year, as their September schedule is very favorable. Two games against the Red Sox and Astros and three against the Rangers are their only tough matchups left.

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