It’s really hard to be a Seattle sports fan for more than a few years and not approach fandom with a fatalistic outlook. With the exception of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win a few years ago, we have become accustomed to failure. Feeling downtrodden and defeated is the norm.
There have been moments, especially after James Paxton got hurt last year, during which I’ve genuinely wondered whether the Mariners would make the playoffs during my lifetime. It seems like a silly thing to wonder - I’m young, and how the organization looks now will have little bearing on how it looks years in the future.