http://prospectinsider.com/view/the-m%27s-window-starts-now/?PHPSESSID=ae1b3355c8678a3b59768a804b0d9603
While the odds are certainly against them, there are reasons for Mariners
fans to have optimism for the 2012 season. Here are a few reasons why we
could all be watching postseason baseball at Safeco Field next fall.
The pitching is really good
Even with the losses of right-hander Doug Fister (traded to Detroit) and Erik
Bedard (traded to Boston), the rotation should still be of a caliber that can
take a team into the playoffs. There isn't a starting-pitcher in baseball I'd
rather have than Felix Hernandez, and Michael Pineda was better than anyone
could have hoped. Jason Vargas and Blake Beavan were adequate back-end
starters and then some. There's also the possibility that either Danny
Hultzen or James Paxton