Editing Seattle Mariners (section)

====The Vedder Cup====
An unusual rivalry exists between the Mariners and the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[San Diego Padres]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Front: A Brief History of the Vedder Cup |url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/17243/western-front-a-brief-history-of-the-vedder-cup/}}</ref> The matchup was designated one of the 15 "naturalized rivalries" when interleague play began in 1997, and the teams have played every year since, except 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Togerson |first=Derek |date=2016-05-30 |title=How the Vedder Cup Came to Be |url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/how-the-vedder-cup-came-to-be/60870/ |website=NBC San Diego}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-03-14 |title=Mariners "Heating Up" the Rivalry |url=https://www.gaslampball.com/2013/3/14/4104230/mariners-heating-up-the-rivalry |website=Gaslamp Ball |publisher=SB Nation}}</ref> 

Little on the surface links the two teams, who play in separate leagues and in cities that sit about 1,250 miles apart. Still, they share a spring training facility—the [[Peoria Sports Complex]] in [[Peoria, Arizona]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Power Ranking Every 'Hometown' Interleague Rivalry |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1652895-power-ranking-every-hometown-interleague-rivalry |website=[[Bleacher Report]]}}</ref>—and in many years have competed for draft picks and prospects after failing to make the playoffs. (The Padres failed to win a single playoff series between 1999 and 2019, while the Mariners failed to make the playoffs from 2002 to 2021. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Devils Talking Padres – Padres drop series to Dodgers, return home for Vedder Cup |url=https://www.eastvillagetimes.com/devils-talking-padres-padres-drop-series-to-dodgers-return-home-for-vedder-cup/ |website=East Village Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-12 |title=Padres Head to Seattle For Vedder Cup |url=https://friarsonbase.com/2015/05/12/padres-head-to-seattle-for-vedder-cup/ |website=Friars on base}}</ref>) Far from a bitter rivalry, it is viewed by the teams and most fans as more of a humorous contest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gorra |first=Jeff |date=June 3, 2016 |title=The Legacy of the Vedder Cup |url=https://artistwaves.com/the-legacy-of-the-vedder-cup/ |website=Artist Waves}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Muck |first=Jeremy |date=2015-03-05 |title=Vedder Cup has finally gotten some Intrigue! |url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/mar/05/vedder-cup-has-finally-got-some-intrigu/ |website=nwaonline.com}}</ref>

The rivalry has long been unofficially called the '''Vedder Cup''' after [[Pearl Jam]] frontman [[Eddie Vedder]], who claims both Seattle and San Diego as hometowns—and who roots for the [[Chicago Cubs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unlike past years, 'Vedder Cup' series between M's and Padres will have intrigue |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/unlike-past-years-vedder-cup-series-between-ms-and-padres-will-have-intrigue/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rotation: A History of the Vedder Cup, Baseball's Strangest Rivalry |url=https://www.pitcherlist.com/the-rotation-history-vedder-cup-baseballs-strangest-rivalry/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brock |first=Corey |last2=Lin |first2=Dennis |date=April 20, 2020 |title=A Vedder Cup unlike any other: Simming the 2022 World Series |url=https://theathletic.com/1758263/2020/04/20/a-vedder-cup-unlike-any-other-simming-the-2022-world-series/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200424225709/https://theathletic.com/1758263/2020/04/20/a-vedder-cup-unlike-any-other-simming-the-2022-world-series/ |archive-date=2020-04-24 |website=[[The Athletic]]}}</ref> From the 2025 season, the rivalry will be officially designated as the Vedder Cup, with a trophy designed by Vedder himself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stumbaugh |first=Julia |title=Padres, Mariners to Compete in MLB's Vedder Cup; Trophy Designed by Pearl Jam Singer |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25171113-padres-mariners-compete-mlbs-vedder-cup-trophy-designed-pearl-jam-singer |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Bleacher Report}}</ref>