The Mariners’ bullpen problems are impossible to miss, but Eduard Bazardo has become one of the clearest symbols of how far things have slid. After a strong first half, the right-hander has spent the last two months looking nothing like the arm Seattle leaned on so heavily earlier in the year.
Through the end of June, Bazardo owned a 2.17 ERA in 40 appearances and picked up the unofficial label of “Everyday Eduard.” That version of him looked nothing like a reliever carrying around the memory of George Springer’s homer in Game 7 of last year’s ALCS. But once July arrived, the wheels started coming off.
Since July 12, Bazardo has been hammered for a 7.36 ERA, 7.51 FIP and 1.91 WHIP over 24 appearances. His rematch with Springer in Toronto last month was especially rough, with Bazardo giving up two key runs and making a mental mistake at home plate that had Mariners analyst Angie Mentink losing it.
The Blue Jays score TWO as the Mariners walk in a run and Brett Bateman hustles home for another 😤 pic.twitter.com/MnU2ikeEHJ
- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 29, 2026
And it only got uglier on Tuesday night, when Bazardo was tagged for a season-high four earned runs in just 0.1 innings during a 10-5 loss to the Rangers.
That latest outing also reignited the larger question around how the Mariners have handled him. Critics have wondered why he keeps ending up in high-leverage spots when the results have been so shaky. That line of thinking has roots in last October too, when plenty of people blamed Dan Wilson for using the Venezuela native when he did in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Seattle’s bullpen as a whole has been a mess. Entering Thursday’s series finale against the Rangers, the group ranked 23rd in team ERA and 24th in fWAR.
Andrés Muñoz and Jose A. Ferrer haven’t consistently matched their talent, while Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas and Cooper Criswell have all missed major chunks of the 2026 season.
Bazardo’s season has forced a tougher conversation about who he really is. Is he the pitcher who flashed last year and early this season, or the one who has been getting shelled since midsummer? The read here is that the stuff is there, but the execution has not been.
For the short term, the cleanest answer would be to shut him down and let him reset. That’s not likely with the bullpen in this state, though. Whatever the Mariners do next, they’ll have to think carefully about how they use him.
Bazardo will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, pending the lockout situation, and while this doesn’t make him a non-tender candidate, his 2026 struggles have dented his value. Even so, there’s still reason to think he can bounce back in 2027.
The problem is that if he does, Seattle should be planning to keep him in lower-leverage work. Last October was the warning sign, and this season has only made it harder to ignore.
In Other News...
Mariners Face A Bigger Dan Wilson Decision Than Fans Expected
The Mariners disappointing season has already pushed Dan Wilsons future into the center of the conversation, and now one of the sports most connected voices is adding more fuel to it. On the Fair Territory podcast, Ken Rosenthal said he is fairly confident Seattle will move on from Wilson after the current season, a sign of how quickly the discussion around the manager has shifted as the club has fallen out of playoff contention.
Wilsons position has become part of a larger organizational question for Seattle: if the Mariners decide he deserves another year, they cannot treat the offseason like a waiting game. Rosenthals point was plain enough, and it speaks to the pressure facing the front office now. Either the club makes a clean change, or it commits fully to Wilson and gives him the kind of support that matches the decision to keep him in place. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Prospect Buzz Now Comes With One Big Timeline Twist
Jerry Dipotos latest update on the Mariners prospect group offered a useful snapshot of where several of the organizations most talked-about young players stand right now. Ryan Sloan is set to finish the season at Double-A Arkansas, and the club still views him as a major piece for 2027, while Kade Anderson has already reached the big leagues and is being handled with an eye toward helping Seattle this season without overloading him. Michael Arroyo, meanwhile, has mostly been stationed at second base, giving the Mariners a look at how his bat might fit as he continues to move through the system.
For a farm system that has drawn plenty of buzz, the interesting part is less about the names themselves than the timing attached to each of them. Seattle is trying to balance near-term needs with longer-range planning, and that creates very different tracks for prospects like Sloan, Anderson, Arroyo and Lazaro Montes. The early look suggests some of the future core is still on the way, some of it is already here, and some of it may end up being more versatile than originally expected. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Have A Smarter Outfield Answer If Arozarena Walks
The Mariners outfield picture is already getting harder to sort as the offseason takes shape, and the comparison most worth watching is not just about one bat versus another. Randy Arozarena brings the kind of offense that can change the feel of a lineup, but the broader evaluation goes beyond what he does at the plate, especially with Seattle weighing how it wants to build around its defense and its payroll.
Seiya Suzuki has emerged as a particularly interesting alternative because his 2026 season gave teams plenty to examine on both sides of the ball. For Seattle, the appeal is as much about fit as it is about talent, since Suzukis offensive production and stronger defensive numbers could make him a cleaner long-term answer if Arozarena reaches the open market. The Mariners may have a more balanced path in front of them than simply trying to keep the current arrangement intact. [Read more 🡒]