The Mariners don’t need a headline-grabber in the bullpen as much as they need somebody who can steady the whole thing. That’s why Riley O’Brien has become such a tempting name.
Seattle’s relief group has been stretched thin for a while, and the cracks are showing. The team is already operating without a full bullpen because of its piggyback setup through at least the All-Star break, and the injury situation hasn’t helped.
Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas and Cooper Criswell are all sidelined until August. Even with a season-long bullpen ERA of 3.67, good for seventh in the majors, June has been a mess: a 5.13 ERA that ranks 24th.
General manager Justin Hollander can point to Brash as almost a trade-deadline addition when he returns, but that doesn’t solve the problem between now and Aug. 3.
Jerry Dipoto needs options, and O’Brien is one of the more interesting ones on the market. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan ranked him No. 28 among candidates to be moved.
He’s not a flashy name, but Mariners fans know him. O’Brien spent parts of 2022 and 2023 in the organization, and his path in Tacoma went from rough to respectable in a hurry.
In his first Triple-A season, he posted a 7.12 ERA and 1.964 WHIP across 36.2 innings. The next year, he turned it around with a 2.29 ERA and 1.218 WHIP in 55.0 innings.
Seattle got only one big-league inning out of him before moving on in November 2023, sending him to the Cardinals for cash considerations when a roster spot opened up. That deal now looks like one of the pitching-side misses Dipoto could actually fix.
O’Brien’s rise in St. Louis has been real.
He stumbled through his first season there, then delivered a career year in 2025 with a 1.5 bWAR, 2.06 ERA and 1.146 WHIP in 48.0 innings. This season, the ERA is up to 3.93, but the underlying numbers still point to a useful arm: a 3.36 FIP that would be a career low and a 1.165 WHIP.
He’s also bringing the kind of stuff contenders like to see at the back end. His fastball is sitting at a career-best 98.3 mph, he’s showing good control, and he ranks in the 93rd percentile in GB%. Against right-handed hitters, he’s been especially sharp, holding them to a .197 average and a .542 OPS.
The Cardinals have leaned on him in the ninth inning, and he’s answered. O’Brien has converted 20 of 24 save chances, sits one save behind the NL lead, and has blown only one since May 10. That kind of stability would matter for Seattle, especially with Andrés Muñoz dealing with a nervy season.
There’s also the control factor. O’Brien is under team control through the 2030 season, which only adds to the appeal.
And for O’Brien, a move to Seattle would bring him back to familiar ground. He was born in the city and played at Shorewood High School in Shoreline, Washington. For the Mariners, it would be a chance to bring back a pitcher they let get away and give Dipoto a shot to correct one of his few mistakes on the mound.
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Cole Wilcoxs return from Triple-A Tacoma and Josh Simpsons trip back down were the sort of roster move that can get lost in the shuffle, but it fits the broader picture: Seattle is weighing short-term health against the risk of overextending key contributors. The concern for the Mariners is not just who is out there today, but whether all this maintenance is a sign the team is already managing a roster thats been pushed close to its limit. [Read more 🡒]