The Seattle Mariners may be hunting for offense this winter, but the free-agent market might not give them much to work with there. Jerry Dipoto sounds more likely to shop for bullpen help, and he’s already made that much clear.
"This year's bullpen market is pretty appealing," Dipoto said, per Teren Kowatsch of Roundtable Sports. "There's a lot of guys out there we feel like could help us.
We've already identified who they might be. Whether we can land them or not is a different story.
But, we're looking to add to our bullpen."
One name that fits that search is Bryan Abreu, who has also been pointed out as a target by Zac Hereth of Seattle Sports. Abreu could have his own reasons to like the fit, too.
The Mariners have been a problem for him lately, tagging him for a 6.75 ERA in 13 appearances over the last two seasons. Against everyone else in 123 appearances, he’s posted a 2.59 ERA.
Abreu also looks like the kind of reliever teams can talk themselves into as a buy-low option. The 29-year-old right-hander owns a 146 ERA+ for his career, though that number dipped to 111 this year. That drop came after a rough start he eventually steadied, but the finish still left a few warning signs.
His fastball got better as the season went on, yet his final average velocity of 95.7 mph was still 1.6 mph below his 2025 average. His walk rate also improved from the first half to the second, but the gap remained significant: 18.3 BB% before the break, 11.9 BB% after it. That latter figure matches the league-worst BB% put up by Cincinnati Reds relievers.
If there’s a place where the Mariners could help, it’s there. Even with their pitching issues this year, throwing strikes was one thing Seattle did well. Mariners starters ranked second in walk rate, and the bullpen still finished in the top 10 in MLB at 8.8 BB%.
Abreu has never posted a walk rate that low in eight seasons. But if Trent Blank and company could get him anywhere near it, Seattle could unlock even more of what makes him tough to square up. Since 2022, among relievers with at least 300 appearances, only four have allowed a lower slugging percentage than Abreu’s .311.
The price tag is the part that makes this feel less certain. Projections have Abreu landing in the neighborhood of two years and $20 million, and Dipoto hasn’t made that kind of investment in a reliever since signing Juan Nicasio in 2017. So for now, this whole bullpen pursuit - Abreu included - still feels like one of those situations where fans may need to wait and see.
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