Back to the Seattle Mariners Newsfeed

Expert picks: M's will fire Scott Servais and trade all their stars. Or make the playoffs

Hope is supposed to spring eternal on the opening day, but that’s not necessarily the case for the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s haven’t been to the playoffs since 2001. It’s the longest current drought in American sports and a lot of so-called experts think it will continue this season.

However, there are reasons to get excited about the season that starts Thursday night at 7:10 against Cleveland. Some predict blockbuster trades, wild card contention and one of baseball’s most coveted prizes.

Here’s a look at one some national media outlets are predicting this season has in store for the Mariners:

USA TODAY

The newspaper’s seven baseball reporters picked Houston to win the American League West and for the Mariners to miss out on a wild card spot.