Five Things Brett Wants to See in 2025
"It's fun; baseball is fun." - Yogi Berra
5) Mariners Make The Playoffs & Win a Series or Two
Okay, this is getting sad. The Mariners have had talents such as Randy Johnson (HoF), Ken Griffey Jr. (HoF), Edgar Martinez (HoF), Ichiro Suzuki (will be 1st ballot HoFer), Felix Hernandez (possible HoFer), and Alex Rodriguez (would be in HoF if he didn't cheat) all come and go since 1987 with nothing really to show.
Given the pieces they have had to work with, their last 37 years has been lackluster. These are some of the best players to have played the game over the past 40 years, and the ball club has no hardware to show. They have no World Series rings, no American League pennants, just misery. The organization was added to Major League Baseball in 1977 to set the bar, so technically, the organization is 47 years young, but I am letting the first 10 years go as this was a team added by expansion and had to get acclimated to running a professional baseball team at the highest level.
Now that they have Julio Rodriguez, and an elite starting rotation, they need to be aggressive in getting this man some support. This is far-fetched, but I would love to see the Mariners go out and sign Pete Alonso. This would immediately upgrade the team’s offense in the power department. The Mariners are currently 18th in overall payroll, according to Spotrac, so they have money to spend.
Alonso turned down a 3-year/$90M deal from the Mets, so the Mariners will likely have to add additional years and/or cash into an offer to make this work. This can lead to issues with cash flow when they need to sign guys like Logan Gilbert, Cal Raleigh, and George Kirby to long-term deals but if they take a play out of the Dodgers lineup, they can always defer money!
After that, they can add another less expensive bat, like Ha-Seong Kim or Justin Turner. I do not want to see Seattle have another superstar who leaves the organization without a title.
4) The Yankees sign another stud bat and another starter
I understand that most people reading this do not care for the Yankees or even like them, but I do. I would love for the Yankees to go out and sign Alex Bregman, no matter the cost. It is win-now mode in the Bronx, and they can’t afford not to be sellouts. I would give the Yankees a B+ for their offseason so far (even with missing on Soto) as they have done solid in spending without overspending and addressed multiple needs. Adding Bregman to this lineup would be a game-changer and a real threat to head straight back to the World Series.
If they sign Bregman, I would think they are done searching for offense besides a bench bat that would be on a team-friendly deal. I would love to see them add another starter where the money makes sense, maybe Charlie Morton or Anthony DeSclafani! I don’t want to be greedy, but last year’s World Series loss and losing Soto has been rough, and I need some baseball dopamine injected into my veins.
3) Pirates sign some massive power in the outfield
The pitching factory in Pittsburgh is just getting started. I would love to see the Pirates go out and sign a bat that can be a staple in the lineup for the next 3-6 years. Anthony Santander can be that guy! Adding Santander would be a massive offseason victory for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is 27th overall in payroll and has no excuse not to get a deal done with an established and affordable MLB player they need to make a run for the National League Central division title. Pittsburgh was 25th overall in home runs in 2024 with just 160 bombs. Anthony Santander has not hit less than 28 home runs in a season since 2022. Go and get this man before another team comes in and swoops him.
2) Somehow, the Marlins and the Peter Bendix Experience Make the Playoffs
Since the Peter Bendix administration, the Marlins have been busy making moves to build the organization from scratch. At last year's deadline, the Marlins made six trades, adding multiple talented prospects, 9 of which are now ranked in Miami's Top 30 overall prospects. Those acquired in deals LHP Robby Snelling, RHP Adam Mazur, 2B/OF Connor Norby, OF Andrew Pintar, 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos, RHP Jun-Seok Shim, INF Garret Forrester, SS/2B Jared Serna, C/1B Agustin Ramirez, INF Graham Pauley, INF Wilfredo Lara, OF Kyle Stowers, INF Abrahan Ramirez, RHP Will Schomberg, and INF Jay Beshears
It may be a year early, but Bendix is on to something in South Florida. Miami is doing all the right things in their roster movement, as they were not built to win last year, and they needed a complete reconstruction. Who knows if they can add some complimentary veterans to this young roster? Maybe they can make some noise and sneak up the National League in the playoff race.
1) Roki Sasaki signs with anyone but the Dodgers
The Dodgers have already broken baseball, but landing Sasaki would be overkill. This would be devastating not only to other teams but also to the game's fans. Los Angeles is already a juggernaut, and no one outside Dodger fans wants to see this happen. I am a Yankee fan and wouldn’t mind seeing him sign with someone like the Brewers, Padres, Phillies, etc.
Sasaki joining a contender would be great, just not the Dodgers!