The Mariners don’t need more bullpen bodies so much as they need a cleaner way to get through games.
That’s the real problem for Dan Wilson. Andrés Muñoz is still the anchor at the back end, and when Matt Brash comes back, he can add the swing-and-miss Seattle wants.
Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and José A. Ferrer have also given the club enough trust to work leverage spots.
But the question isn’t whether the Mariners have arms they can lean on. It’s how often those arms are being asked to bail out close games, and how much more that burden grows over the stretch run.
That’s why the idea of a “super ’pen” has started making the rounds, even if it sounds a little out there at first. The concept is straightforward: rather than chase another middle reliever or shove a starter into an uncomfortable relief job, Seattle could promote top Double-A pitchers Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan and use them as multi-inning weapons.
Not one-inning specialists. More like bridge pieces who can cover two or three innings and take pressure off the late-inning group.
Mariners have floated the idea of creating a “super ’pen” for the stretch run, perhaps featuring promotions of Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan. Aroldis Chapman, it appears, might not be part of Mariners’ trade plans. https://t.co/86izv6oQh8
It would be a major swing. The kind of move that could help push Seattle toward contender status - or blow up in a hurry.
The logic behind it is easy to see. Muñoz, Brash, Speier, Bazardo and Ferrer shouldn’t be the ones putting out fires from the fifth inning on every night.
That’s how clubs run their best relievers into the ground before the games that really matter. Seattle needs a smoother path from the rotation to the final innings, one that doesn’t keep putting the same few arms on a tightrope.
Anderson and Sloan fit because they’re starters. They’re used to handling more than three outs, and right now both are working four- to five-inning outings.
That makes them natural candidates for the role. A two-inning stint from either one in the sixth and seventh could reshape how Wilson handles the back half of a game.
It could also keep Brash from being pushed into back-to-back appearances and even let Seattle rest the whole committee on certain nights while using Anderson or Sloan as a piggyback option.
That kind of usage wouldn’t be entirely new for the Mariners, either. They’ve already been willing to get unconventional with pitching plans, and the piggyback rotation showed they’ll bend the usual rules if it helps protect arms and navigate awkward parts of the schedule without overworking the bullpen.
A super ’pen would be the next step in that same direction. It’s creative, it’s efficient, and that’s exactly the sort of thing the front office tends to like.
In Other News...
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Rodrguez was struck in the back of the helmet during a double-play sequence, while Robles was hit on the forearm and later replaced in the fifth inning. Weston Wilson came in for Robles, and Luke Raley shifted to center field, a reminder of how quickly one game can turn into an availability issue for a team that can ill afford to lose more everyday pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Bliss Is Heating Up But Seattle Has A Bigger Problem
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The problem is that a hot stretch does not always change the depth chart, and Bliss is still fighting for a role on a roster that already has established answers in the middle infield. If the Mariners cannot carve out regular at-bats for him, the conversation could shift from how he fits in Seattle to what kind of value he might have elsewhere. For a controllable upper-minors player who is starting to look like more than just insurance, that is the kind of decision front offices do not take lightly. [Read more 🡒]