What They Said: M’s GM details everything about the new piggyback

The Seattle Mariners’ rotation is returning to a piggyback format, though not in the same way it operated the first time around.

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Whereas the Mariners previously paired starting pitchers Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo up to pitch on the same days for three turns of the five-man rotation, they’re now going to rotate all six of their healthy starters into either the front end or back end of one piggyback game until the MLB All-Star break, which is set for July 13-16.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander hopped on the Mariners Radio Network pregame show with Seattle Sports’ Shannon Drayer on Tuesday and provided the key details on how the piggyback will work this time, how the decision was made and more. Here’s a look at what Hollander said.

How will the piggyback work?

“So the most simple way I can explain it is through the next three turns through the rotation, each one of our six starters will be part (of) either the front end or the back end of a piggyback one time. So we’ll pair them up one time through each. So for instance on Friday it’ll be Bryce and Luis again, just out of coincidence – that was the way it made the most sense based on the schedule of rest. And then the next time through the rotation will be two different pitchers. And then the last time through (before) the All-Star break, it’ll be two more different pitchers. Roughly for the next 24 games, 28 days, each starter will piggyback one time.”

Why is every Mariners pitcher taking a piggyback turn?

“So two pitchers always piggybacking feels like you’re forcing two guys into a very specific box, and at some point they will get shortened up and not be as stretched out and not be able to sort of stay a part of the rotation over time – because your five-inning guy is probably going to throw 70, 75 pitches, but the next guy probably (will be) in the 50-75 (pitch) range, and over time that will just take a toll. The way this works now is everybody will only have to share whatever burden that the piggyback entails – call it one less inning – one time over the next 28 days. So the change in their routine, the amount it affects their innings total or their pitch-count buildup is very minimal over that amount of time. It sort of shares the burden with everybody and gives the rest of the team the benefit of the piggyback, which is that on those days, ideally, you’ll have no bullpen or minimal bullpen involvement… which means more rest, particularly for our leverage (relief) pitchers.”

How did the pitchers react to the change?

“I think the great part about our starting pitchers beyond their talent and sort of what they accomplish on the field is how they’re wired. Both as a group, they (have) a real bond with each other. And I think when presented it this way and the opportunity to share a small burden, which is the loss of an inning or two, with the benefit of helping not only the person next to them but the rest of the team, they seem all-in and (with) no concern from their end in terms of their willingness to shoulder a small burden for the benefit of the team.”

The piggyback leans into a Seattle Mariners strength

“As we get further in the season, I think you’ll learn more about what’s working for everybody and what’s not working for everybody. … Right now, I think the best thing for our team is that our starters are one of our strengths. How many innings of our total innings can the starters pitch? … For right now, meaning through the All-Star break, this is what we’re going with. There’s nothing written in pen that we can’t change over time. I think if we were to have an injury to a starting pitcher, if someone were to get sick or have a more serious injury, we of course wouldn’t start calling up other pitchers with less accomplished track records and asking them to pitch in a piggyback. But for these six pitchers, where they’re at right now and where we’re at right now as a team, this is what sort of as a front office and coaching staff agreed was the best thing for them.”

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