SEATTLE MARINERS

There’s one key piece the Mariners are missing in their bullpen

Oct 29, 2024, 12:18 PM

The bullpen has been a major strength for the Seattle Mariners during their run of four straight winning seasons.

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But the group started to show some cracks down the stretch of 2024 and was ultimately one of the factors that kept the team from reaching the playoffs.

Injuries were a major contributor to the bullpen woes Seattle experienced this season. High-leverage arm Matt Brash missed the full season after having Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Offseason trade addition Gregory Santos appeared in just eight games and spent most of the year on the injured list with varying ailments. And trade deadline pickup Yimi García pitched in just 10 games (and was largely ineffective) before being sidelined for the rest of the season by inflammation in his pitching elbow.

Even standout closer Andrés Muñoz, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2024, battled through injuries to give the M’s at least one true lockdown arm at the back end of their bullpen.

Injuries were certainly a problem for Seattle’s bullpen, but there are other issues facing the group.

During a special offseason Mariners roundtable, former MLB pitcher Charlie Furbush pointed out an area he feels Seattle needs to address in its bullpen this offseason. For those familiar with Furbush, his answer may not be too surprising.

“I think the bullpen needs a lockdown lefty,” said Furbush, who was a lefty reliever who twice during his career with the Mariners had a season with an ERA under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.00.

2024 review

The Mariners entered 2024 with with Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier as their lefty options out of the bullpen after breakout seasons the year prior.

Saucedo had his struggles during a tough month of August but put together a season similar to his 2023 performance, posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 38 1/3 innings pitched in 2024. The Tahoma High School (Maple Valley) product was effective against left-handed batters, holding them to a .200 batting average and .591 OPS.

Speier allowed only one run over 9 2/3 innings in April, but his season quickly spiraled afterwards. He gave up 10 runs in just 5 2/3 innings in May before landing on the IL with a rotator cuff strain. Speier rejoined the club in July but made just seven more appearances while bouncing between the big-league club and Triple-A Tacoma. He finished the year with a 5.79 ERA – nearly two runs higher than 2023 – in just 23 2/3 innings pitched. He remained effective against lefties, but struggled with command and allowed an .813 OPS to right-handed batters.

“We saw the difference when Gabe Speier was at his best, what a difference that could make,” Seattle Sports’ Mariners insider Shannon Drayer said. “And we’ll see if he’s part of the team next year. I talked to him at the end of the year and it was just about resting for him, getting 100%.”

An upgrade with a lefty in the bullpen could be the difference between the Mariners having a good bullpen and a great one.

Seattle’s left-handed relievers did pretty well against left-handed batters this season. In those matchups, the Mariners were fifth in opponents’ batting average (.214), 14th in opponents’ on-base percentage (.302) and eighth in opponents’ slugging percentage (.336).

But it wasn’t close to matching the dominance Seattle’s right-handed relievers had against right-handed batters. In right-on-right matchups, M’s relievers led the league in opponents’ batting average (.202) by 24 points, opponents’ on-base percentage (.253) by 31 points and in opponents’ slugging percentage (.338) by 12 points.

The Mariners see plenty of good left-handed batters in the American League West between the Astros’ Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker, the Rangers’ Corey Seager and the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler.

“I think we need someone that’s gonna come in and get that big lefty out,” Furbush said. “It acts like a mini closer, if you will, to be able to shut down the big lefties, and we’re just going to continue to see them. So hopefully the Mariners can get a nice lefty here.”

For Part 2 of the Mariners offseason roundtable, click here.

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• Seattle Sports’ Mariners roundtable looks at ’24, ahead to offseason
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There’s one key piece the Mariners are missing in their bullpen