What's on tap for Mariners in second half? 

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- The second half is on the horizon, and the Mariners will have no soft landing to begin what will be their defining stretch of 2024.

The Astros have been chasing them all year, closing the gap for most of the past month, and arrive at T-Mobile Park this weekend for a huge showdown in what will be their penultimate meeting of the regular season. Seattle visits Houston for its final road series on Sept. 23-25, and both series figure to have huge implications on the AL postseason race.

With that in mind, here’s a midseason report on where Seattle stands:

One second-half goal: Win the AL West
It may have seemed ambitious at the season’s outset, especially given that Seattle shares a division with each of the past two World Series champions. But after building a 10-game edge atop the AL West by June 18, anything but a division title would be a significant disappointment at this point.

The 52-46 Mariners' lead heading into the All-Star break -- on the heels of a brutal weekend in Anaheim -- was down to just one game over the Astros (50-46) and five on the Rangers (46-50), who took two of three in Houston last weekend and are expected to return many key contributors in the second half.

Sure, the Mariners could still secure a Wild Card spot and all would not be lost. But beyond the massive advantage of either hosting the Wild Card Series or, better yet, earning a bye into the AL Division Series, this is an organization that hasn’t won a division crown since its historic 2001 season.

Seattle has been in the driver’s seat to do so, in first place for 68 straight days. And the optics of not finishing there would be highly disappointing, both within and outside the clubhouse.

Trade Deadline strategy: Swing big, literally
There are less than two weeks to go, yet there’s still uncertainty around how bold the Mariners will be in augmenting a roster that, despite the playoff standing it's held all season, has clear deficiencies.

They will add a bat, if not multiple bats. And they will seemingly be in on all the aircraft carriers -- Pete Alonso, Luis Robert Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- but the question is whether any of that top talent will actually be available. Seattle has the prospect capital to get a seat at the table on any of those players.

It’s also become increasingly clear that the Mariners need another power reliever, even with the electric first impression from Gregory Santos. Sunday’s loss in Anaheim was a prime example, after Ryne Stanek exited with back spasms and Austin Voth was called on for the third day in a row and in a spot he’s not accustomed to.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has kept his cards close to the vest, without much, if any, public commentary this season -- and that’s been by design. All of it makes the Mariners one of the most fascinating teams to follow ahead of the Deadline on July 30.

Key player: CF Julio Rodríguez
Rodríguez showed in spurts over the past two weeks how drastically he can change the dynamic of the entire team when he’s playing to his potential. Over 12 games in July, he’s 17-for-38 (.447) with three homers, three doubles and six RBIs, good for a 1.263 OPS.

And if Rodríguez has shown anything in his first two seasons, it’s about this time of year where he really heats up. Last August, Rodríguez was the best player in baseball -- and not coincidentally, the Mariners set a franchise record with their most wins (21) in a single month. They don’t necessarily need him to play at that gaudy level, but rather, a more consistent one than what he showed for most of the first half (.690 OPS in 97 games).

Prospect to watch: C Harry Ford
It’s been three full years since the Mariners selected the uber-athletic backstop with their first-round pick (No. 12 overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft. Seattle's No. 2 prospect (and MLB Pipeline’s No. 23 overall) is now 21 years old, and he has checked most boxes at each Minor League stop.

Ford is in the time frame and player-development stage to where an MLB debut would be on the horizon. The challenge with Ford, though, is that there isn’t a clear path for him to contribute at the big league level, with Cal Raleigh established as the everyday guy and Mitch Garver -- the Mariners' most expensive free-agent acquisition -- finding more success in the backup role.

Moreover, because Ford plays a premium position and is seemingly on the MLB doorstep, he might be Seattle's most valuable trade chip ahead of the Deadline.