The Seattle Mariners have made one thing clear about Kade Anderson: he is not headed to the bullpen just yet.
That stance surprised ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney, especially after the club’s trade of Luis Castillo last week seemed to point toward a familiar late-season move for a young arm. Instead, Jerry Dipoto’s message was that Anderson is “next man up” in the rotation, and Seattle is not planning to cut short his development by shifting him into relief right now.
Olney tied that decision to a few different factors, including the club’s tepid reaction at the trade deadline and the bigger roster questions that hang over the organization. He noted that Anderson was the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft and that Seattle has the ability to delay placing him on the 40-man roster, which also delays the start of his service time clock.
“I could see, if you were the Mariners saying, 'boy, this team is not playing that great. Do we want to start the service time clock for a team that hasn't performed great, of this great talent?'
I mean, it's clear that he probably could pitch in the big leagues right now. Okay, but do you want to start that service time clock now?
And with the labor situation next year, do you want to have that complicate what his timeline is going to be, the 40-man roster in the offseason? All those things are up in the air right now, I think, because of the labor situation.
And again, I haven't gone into it in terms of debriefing with people in the Mariners, but I'm curious to see what I hear.”
For a Seattle team sitting at 56-60 and in third place in the American League West, the big-league picture is shaky. The Mariners enter Friday just 3.0 games behind in the division and 1.5 games out of the third and final wild card spot, so they’re still hanging around in a weak American League.
The future, though, looks a lot brighter in the minors. Michael Arroyo, Lazaro Montes, Anderson and Ryan Sloan have all put together strong seasons, giving the organization some real hope beneath the uneven major league results.
Arroyo could reach Seattle this season. Anderson almost certainly will.
The only real question was how the Mariners would use him.
The assumption all year was that Anderson would eventually be brought up to help the bullpen down the stretch and in the playoffs. After spending the season as a starter, the idea was that Seattle would ease him into the majors in relief, let him pile up innings, and give him a taste of big-league action without forcing him to carry a rotation load.
That plan appears off the table for now.
Anderson has ripped through Double-A in his first taste of pro ball and is now Baseball America’s No. 6 prospect in the sport. In 16 starts for the Arkansas Travelers, he is 9-1 with a 1.20 ERA.
Over 82.1 innings, he has struck out 119 hitters, walked just 12 and held opponents to a .149 average. He also represented the Mariners in the Futures Game and worked a scoreless inning there.
He is scheduled to start for Arkansas on Friday night.
In Other News...
George Kirby May Have Been Closer To A Mariners Exit Than Fans Knew
George Kirby stayed put when the MLB trade deadline passed, but ESPNs reporting suggests his name was part of a wider market conversation even if Mariners fans never saw it play out in real time. Detroits talks on Tarik Skubal were shaped in part by the possibility that if those negotiations dragged, other clubs might redirect their attention toward Kirby, whose appeal is obvious to any front office hunting for a frontline starter.
For Seattle, the important part is simple: Kirby is still in the rotation, and the Mariners kept one of their most valuable arms rather than turning a deadline debate into a roster shakeup. The reporting also underscores why he drew such attention in the first place, with his age, affordability and long runway of team control making him exactly the kind of pitcher rival clubs would monitor if the market for an ace started to move. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipoto Faces New Heat As Mariners Questions Keep Growing
David Forsts dismissal in Oakland has only sharpened the spotlight on baseball operations around the division, and it inevitably turns the conversation back to Jerry Dipoto in Seattle. Forst spent 27 years with the Athletics and 11 seasons as general manager before being let go, with assistant GM Dan Feinstein now overseeing baseball operations while the club searches for a replacement.
For the Mariners, the comparison is hard to miss because the questions around Dipoto have only grown as the team has continued to struggle on the field. Seattle has built its recent identity around patience and process, but results have a way of changing the temperature fast, and another front-office reset in the AL West only adds to the scrutiny on a group already under pressure to show progress. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Rizzs Finally Gets A Place In Mariners History
Rick Rizzs has been part of the Mariners soundtrack for so long that it is hard to imagine the franchise without him. Now, the team is formally giving him a place in its history, announcing that the longtime broadcaster will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame next season. He will become the 12th member and one of only two non-uniformed inductees, joining Dave Niehaus in that distinction.
Rizzs has been connected to the organization for 41 years and has served as the lead radio voice since 2011, but his impact has gone well beyond the booth. Through his Toys for Kids charity, he has also been a familiar presence in the community. The Mariners have not yet announced when the ceremony will take place or what it will look like, leaving one more chapter in a fitting honor still to come. [Read more 🡒]