Eduard Bazardo’s place in the Seattle Mariners bullpen suddenly feels a lot less secure after Friday night.
The Mariners dropped a crushing 6-5 decision to the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif., and Bazardo was at the center of it. After Seattle pushed across a 5-4 lead in the top of the 10th, Bazardo surrendered a two-run walk-off homer to former Mariners infielder Donovan Walton, a player not known for power.
It was the latest rough night in what has become a brutal second half for Bazardo. His last four outings have been especially ugly, and the case for continuing to run him out there has worn thin. Dan Wilson still chose him in a key spot, and the logic seems easy enough to trace: trust and strikeout ability.
Wilson had already leaned on Jose Ferrer, Seranthony Dominguez and Carlos Vargas in relief of George Kirby. Andres Munoz and Gabe Speier looked unavailable after pitching on consecutive days.
That left only Bazardo, Cooper Criswell, Michael Rucker and Hoby Milner in the bullpen for that moment. Criswell would have been the choice I’d make, but Wilson appeared to go with the reliever he has trusted for two years and the one with the better swing-and-miss profile to help keep the automatic runner from scoring.
At 69-79, though, Seattle’s bigger picture may already be settled. If the Mariners had held on, they would have pulled within five games of the Houston Astros in the division.
That would have been something, but probably not enough to change the playoff math. This loss likely finishes that conversation for good, even if many had already reached that conclusion weeks ago.
So the real question shifts to 2027 and whether Bazardo has a role when that season arrives.
If the Mariners are healthy - and that is always a big if - the bullpen appears to have five spots locked up out of eight: Munoz, Speier, Ferrer, Dominguez and Matt Brash. Criswell, who is under team control through 2030, has a strong case as a long relief option. Vargas also remains interesting enough to keep in the mix, and neither Criswell nor Vargas has minor league options left.
That leaves Bazardo and Michael Rucker as the current holdovers fighting for what may be the final spot.
The bigger issue, though, is that Seattle probably needs more than just one fresh arm. The bullpen has been too shaky in the second half, and the Mariners need another dependable leverage option - or at least someone who can handle that pivot inning in the fifth or sixth.
Bazardo filled that kind of role in 2025 before moving into higher-leverage work, but at this point the club should probably be looking elsewhere. He has no options left, which means a DFA would eventually be required if Seattle decides to move on.
And if the Mariners land multiple new bullpen pieces, even Criswell and Vargas could wind up in danger, despite the value both can bring in different ways.
There’s also the injury reality hanging over all of this. Speier, Brash, Criswell and Vargas have all spent time on the injured list this season, which is a reminder that bullpen depth is never optional. Teams have to build it, protect it and be ready to add to it when the moment demands.
In Other News...
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For a team that needs more from the middle of its lineup, that creates a real problem at first base. Naylors power production has faded badly in the 2026 season, with just 10 home runs in 137 games, and the Mariners are left trying to reconcile what they expected from the spot with what they have actually gotten. It complicates both the offense and whatever they had in mind for the position beyond this year. [Read more 🡒]
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Nothing has been decided, and there is no official change on the horizon, but the possibility of a reset is hard to ignore when a season starts feeling like a referendum. If Seattle does move on, the next manager will likely need to bring a firmer strategic presence and a clearer command of the game, because the Mariners seem to be weighing not just results, but whether the current approach is the right fit for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Trade With Rays Just Got Tougher To Defend
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Hopkins has flashed a fastball that has touched 102 mph, and the results in relief have been much better than what he showed as a starter, with his ERA and WHIP both moving in the right direction. For Seattle, Arozarena has been a productive bat since arriving, but the bigger picture still tilts toward Tampa Bay, which has already locked up a playoff berth while the Mariners have spent the year fighting for ground in the standings. [Read more 🡒]