2 Mariners most to blame for missing 2024 postseason

In order to try and fix their offensive woes, the Mariners went out and traded for Randy Arozarena in late July. The former Tampa Bay Rays star was seen as a perfect addition, but he struggled immensely in the Pacific Northwest. Arozarena hit just .231 in 54 games with Seattle and finished the year with a .219 average overall, smacking 20 home runs and driving in 60 runs.

While Arozarena is typically a guy who can leave the yard, he hit just four bombs in two months with the Mariners. He also had minimal extra-base hits. The M’s brought him in to make a difference and it didn’t happen. It’s never easy to adjust to new surroundings in the middle of a season, but there’s no beating around the bush — Arozarena failed to live up to expectations.

He also had the lowest line drive rate in the entire Majors. Perhaps he’ll be better in 2025.

JP Crawford

JP Crawford has never been known for his offense. He’s a career .245 hitter and typically thrives on defense as one of the best shortstops in the sport. However, he was very poor at the dish in ’24. Crawford slashed a career .202 in 105 games with only nine homers and 37 RBI. While he did miss time with a finger injury and an oblique injury, more is expected of Crawford as one of the team’s best players and veterans.

In July amid the Mariners’ downfall, Crawford batted a mere .164. Before the end of the season, he expressed frustration with his offensive struggles:

“I’m not hitting the ball and [I’m] fouling off pitches I should be hitting,” Crawford said, via The Seattle Times. “I’m not getting the results that I want.

“I feel like it’s a lot of things, but in reality I’m just thinking too much in the box instead of hitting” he said. “I’m just going to get back to just trying to get back focusing on getting on base and hitting it hard and stop thinking so much.”

Seattle needs more out of their shortstop if a return to the playoffs in ’25 will become a reality.