​SEATTLE — One year ago today, the Seattle Mariners were celebrating securing a bye through the wild card round of the MLB playoffs and were still riding high off winning their first American League West title since 2001.A year later, the only thing on the line for the Mariners in their final three games is pride after they were eliminated from playoff contention Thursday.Since being eliminated from the playoffs, several veterans in Seattle’s clubhouse have spoken to the media, taking some semblance of individual responsibility for how the season went while also discussing what they can do to make sure it never happens again.Catcher Cal Raleigh offered a candid retrospective before the game against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.Bryan Woo discussed the season after his start Thursday night, and first baseman Josh Naylor and center fielder Julio Rodriguez both made themselves available for interviews Friday before the second of the four-game series against the Angels.A common thread among all four players was finding a sense of identity and getting back to doing the “little things” right.”Identity’s huge in sports itself,” Naylor said Friday. “Personal identity and then the group identity. I think we did a good job trying to create that. I think it’s just, it’s continuous work. It’s not just set in stone one day. … It’s a day-to-day thing. But we work on it really every day here. … I think we’re all looking forward to that, just growing as a group.”JOSH NAYLOR WALKS IT OFF! pic.twitter.com/Ysb9Mvg5Ah— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026Unlike previous years that ended in disappointment for Seattle, the core group of the team is all set to return next season. Some established veterans, such as shortstop J.P. Crawford and left fielder Randy Arozarena, are set to be free agents, but a good nucleus is back.The group of returners have already had conversations with each other to sort through what went wrong this season and how the team can avoid the same mistakes next season.”There’s been a lot of conversations already,” Woo said Thursday. “But, I think the core group here is about the right things and can achieve what we all want to achieve. We’re all gonna learn and grow a lot from this year.”The season hasn’t ended yet, and the emotions and response from the players bears some resemblance to how the Mariners ended 2024.Two years ago, Seattle was eliminated from the playoffs in the final days of the regular season after blowing a double-digit division lead it had as late as June 19. That season saw a midseason managerial change from Scott Servais to Dan Wilson and saw the Mariners go on a strong run to close out the year.Seattle’s roster entered that offseason focused and told anyone who could hear that the roster was capable of winning the World Series.The Mariners finished 2025 one win away from the World Series and the first American League pennant in franchise history.Every year is different, but the team seems in the right headspace to re