Is Logan Gilbert Ready to Re-Establish Himself as Cy Young Contender for Mariners?
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Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images [/caption]
A lot went right for the 2025 Seattle Mariners. Cal Raleigh hit as many homers as some guy named Babe Ruth. The team made it all the way to Game 7 of the ALCS, farther than the franchise has ever gone before.
On the list of things that did not go perfectly, Logan Gilbert’s season was one of them. It’s not that he had a bad season. He just didn’t have one up to his lofty standards.
“That's always the biggest goal for me is 32 starts, 200 innings,” Gilbert told the media at the beginning of Spring Training. “That's the only thing I really care about.”
That certainly did not happen in 2025, when injuries plagued him as he fell short with 25 starts and 131 innings. Let’s not gloss over the fact that in those innings, he posted a very respectable 3.44 ERA and 110 ERA+. Still, it wasn’t up to his standards.
2024 painted the picture of what Gilbert is capable of. He led all of MLB with 208 2/3 innings pitched, which as a nod to his “workhorse” mentality. On top of that, he posted a 3.23 ERA and 115 ERA+, meaning he was 15% better than league average. All while pitching more innings than any other pitcher in baseball. That earned him a sixth place finish in AL Cy Young voting, which seemed like a slight.
He is one of the best pitchers in baseball at getting swings and misses (93rd percentile in 2025). His big 6-foot-6 frame allows him to get elite extension towards home plate, making it feel like the ball is jumping at the batter quicker than normal. At times, that can lead to a breakdown in mechanics.
This spring, it appears he’s made an effort to improve his cutter. That is a pitch Gilbert all but abandoned in 2025, shortening his otherwise lengthy repertoire. This spring, he is focusing on it more. In his last start on March 14, he threw 13 cutters, getting three whiffs.
Gilbert is as hungry as any Mariner to get this season going and build on last year. His last outing in 2025 was when he allowed four runs on seven hits in Game 6 of the ALCS, as Seattle blew a 3-2 series lead. The fire burns bright for Gilbert to get back to that level and change the franchise’s fortunes.
If Gilbert can turn himself back into a workhorse-style, healthy starter with a true six-pitch mix again, there is no ceiling on what he can accomplish in 2026.
