Shockingly bullish 2027 Mariners projection obscures how much work must be done

As currently constructed, the Seattle Mariners are the third-best team in Major League Baseball. It's not an opinion. It's a fact… sort of.

The reference here is to a recent piece from MLB.com's Mike Petriello that touches on FanGraphs' WAR projections for the 2027 season. The Mariners' roster (46.4) projects as the third-strongest behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (52.0) and New York Yankees (47.3). Take that, disappointing 76-86 2026 season.

One can come close to taking these projections at face value. The 2026 season was a perfect storm of suckiness that isn't likely to repeat itself in 2027. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor can only be better. So can a pitching staff that is…