Larry Stone

It’s getting realistic to envision Mariners playoff games in October, even for the grumps and ingrained pessimists conditioned to expect the worst.

Jacob Eason is well aware that his role in the Seahawks' Drew Lock-Geno Smith QB competition is a peripheral, supportive one — but he’s embracing it.

With a fully functioning Julio Rodriguez-Ty France-Mitch Haniger troika at the top, it should take pressure of the rest of the lineup to carry the team.

The Mariners were mostly quiet at the trade deadline but with the acquisition of Luis Castillo, plus the expected return of Julio Rodriguez, Ty France, Mitch Hanger and more, they will rely on what has them primed to end this playoff drought.

The Mariners have to expect that their rivals will get better in the next few days; they must at least keep pace, if not do something that is a separator.

DK Metcalf stands to hit free agency at age 28 after agreeing to a three-year contract extension worth $72 million — $58.2 million of it guaranteed.

His physical, unrelented running style punished opponents and endeared him to Seahawks teammates, but it also took a toll on his body. He has likely played his last NFL games.

If you considered the All-Star Game to be the national coming-out party for Julio Rodriguez’s mega-stardom, most of the heavy lifting was done Monday in the Home Run Derby.

It would have been a preposterous notion just a month ago that the Mariners would be the talk of baseball during the Midsummer showcase at Dodger Stadium.