Maybe it’s the past month’s unrelenting rain and daily gray that allows optimism of brighter, warmer, dryer days — even for a season where expectations are minimal for the Mariners. Their playoff drought — now at 18 seasons — will extend for another year, but the hope is that 2020 yields enough development from young prospects to change the overall outlook in years ahead.
Here are five questions for the Mariners going into spring training:
How much will youth be served?
It’s all about the kids and their development. The Mariners will have 17 of their top 30 prospects (per MLB Pipeline) in major league camp.