Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners acquire LHP Josh Simpson from Marlins – Seattle Sports
The Seattle Mariners suddenly have a number of left-handed options for their bullpen, with the latest addition coming in a transaction Monday.
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The M’s have acquired 28-year-old southpaw reliever Josh Simpson from the Miami Marlins for cash considerations, the team announced late Monday morning.
Simpson has been added to Seattle’s 40-man roster. Right-handed starting pitcher Logan Evans, who underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL last month and will miss the entire 2026 season, has been placed on the 60-day injured list to make room on the roster for Simpson.
With the addition of Simpson, the Mariners have four left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster in spring training, with the others being Gabe Speier, Jose Ferrer and Robinson Ortiz. All but Speier are offseason acquisitions. Last season, Speier was typically one of two lefties in Seattle’s bullpen, and the only one who was particularly effective.
The 6-foot-2 Simpson made his major league debut in 2025 with the Marlins, appearing in 31 games. He finished the season with a 7.34 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, .272 opponent batting average, and 36 strikeouts to 22 walks over 30 2/3 innings pitched. He was much better when pitching against left-handed batters, who hit .207 against him last year compared to a .328 average by right-handed hitters.
A 32nd-round MLB Draft pick by Miami in 2019 out of Columbia, Simpson also appeared in 29 games for Triple-A Jacksonville in 2025, where he had a 3.41 ERA, 1.019 WHIP and 29 strikeouts to 16 walks over 34 1/3 innings.
Simpson was designated for assignment last Thursday by the Marlins after their signing of another left-handed reliever, John King.
Per Statcast, Simpson’s four-seam fastball and sinker both sit around 94 mph, though he relied heavily upon breaking pitches in the big leagues last year. His most used pitch was a sweeper that averaged 82.4 mph at 25.8% in 2025, followed closely by a curveball that averaged 80.6 mph at 23.7%. He used his sinker 22.2% and the four-seamer 11.7%, and his changeup that averaged 89.2 mph was deployed 10.9% of the time.
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