Seattle, WA
Unheralded reliever the “glue” for Seattle Mariners’ bullpen
There was a point in time when an appearance from Eduard Bazardo often meant the Seattle Mariners were on the wrong side of the game.
Dipoto: ‘Interest on our end’ to re-sign Josh Naylor
The right-hander generally found himself pitching in mop-up duty or, at the very least, coming in with his team down multiple runs.
That was the version of Bazardo the Mariners had last season. In 2025, it’s been a far different story for the Maracay, Venezuela, native.
Bazardo, who was acquired in a 2023 trade after he was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles, has emerged as one of the most reliable arms in the bullpen over the course of the season. He leads M’s relievers and is sixth in baseball with 73 1/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen while compiling a 2.45 ERA and holding batters to .180 average.
During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Friday, Mariners play-by-play voice Gary Hill Jr. highlighted Bazardo as an unsung hero of the club this season.
“He has really put the bullpen together,” Hill said. “He’s been the glue.”
Bazardo’s breakout year has answered a big question that was facing the Mariners bullpen, Hill said.
“Who’s going to be that next leverage guy that they really needed? It’s been Bazardo. He’s pitched in every role.”
No fluke
Bazardo’s stellar season has come after he posted a 4.88 ERA over 27 2/3 big league innings while bouncing between the majors and minors last year.
The dominance of his sinker and slider this year are a major reason for the big year-over-year improvement. Batters are hitting just .168 with .280 slugging percentage of his slider, which he throws 44.3% of the time, and .137 with a .215 slugging percentage of his sinker, which he throws 37.4% of the time.
“When you look at individual pitches, he’s got two great pitches. He’s got the two-seam and he’s got the slider,” Hill said. “So this isn’t happenstance. This isn’t luck. He’s been great, and there’s a reason for it. He’s got two elite pitches, and he knows how to use them.”
A rubber arm
The volume of work Bazardo has provided the Mariners may be his biggest impact on team, especially with the starting rotation not going as deep into games consistently as it did last year.
He’s recorded more than three outs in relief 15 times (tied for the team lead) and pitched three times in four days on numerous occasions throughout the season. He was even starting to get loose during the Mariners’ 13-inning win over the Cardinals on Wednesday, which would have marked a third straight day on the mound.
“He takes the ball seemingly every day,” Hill said. “I mean, we watched him the other night when he was down, and there he was in extra innings stretching it out, getting ready just in case they need them.”
Mariners analyst and former MLB pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith also highlighted Bazardo’s durability during a recent episode of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, pointing out how the right-hander’s stuff on the mound doesn’t falter while shouldering a heavy workload.
“I went back and looked at his velocity and pitch metrics on Day 2 of like a back-to-back, and nothing slips,” Rowland-Smith said. “There’s no slip in velocity. The stuff’s good. He puts up really good numbers on Day 2.”
Hear the full conversation with Mariners play-by-play voice Gary Hill Jr. at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More Seattle Mariners coverage
• Roster Moves: Seattle Mariners recall reliever, DFA another
• Olney: Seattle Mariners may be American League’s most dangerous team
• Minors Notebook: M’s draft pick Stevenson wraps up strong pro debut
• The Seattle Mariners’ surprise reunion with Jorge Polanco is really paying off
• Incredible stat shows Seattle Mariners’ success owed more to Bryan Woo than you’d think
Seattle, WA
MLB Mock Trade: Seattle Mariners Deal Luis Castillo to Atlanta Braves
The Seattle Mariners have had a busy offseason as they try to improve their roster and break through to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle has been active in free agency and on the trade market. One of their final roster questions is who will serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. The Mariners could make one more move before the start of the season to address this need, potentially through a trade with the Atlanta Braves.
The Atlanta Braves are dealing with some serious injuries to their starting rotation this offseason. After an impressive 2025 campaign, Spencer Schwellenbach has been shut down because of bone spurs. Breakout candidate Hurston Waldrep was also shut down during Spring Training with elbow inflammation. Both pitchers underwent surgery in February, leaving two open spots in Atlanta’s rotation. Let’s break down a mock trade centered on Luis Castillo that could help fill those holes for the Braves.
Atlanta Braves – Seattle Mariners Mock Trade
Atlanta Braves receive SP Luis Castillo
Seattle Mariners receive C Sean Murphy, SP Owen Murphy
In this mock trade, the Braves acquire All-Star starter Luis Castillo. In exchange, the Mariners receive former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy and a young pitching prospect in Owen Murphy.
Fantasy Baseball Outlook
Luis Castillo would slot into the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider. He has been very effective for the Mariners since they acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline four seasons ago. In 2025, Castillo went 11–8 in 32 games with a 3.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts. His fantasy value would likely dip if he left Seattle’s pitcher-friendly ballpark. Still, he has proven himself as a reliable, effective starter through consistent performance, and he would play a key role for Atlanta.
With the Mariners, Sean Murphy would serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. He would likely see a drop in playing time in Seattle, but this move could also give the Mariners more opportunities to use Raleigh at DH. With the fifth spot open in the Seattle rotation, Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell would be viable, experienced options. Alternatively, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are elite prospects who have had strong Spring Trainings and could break camp on Opening Day. The young pitching prospect Owen Murphy would also join a talented farm system and provide a future option for the rotation.
Read More Fantasy News
Seattle, WA
VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year
(Story originally posted 8:22 pm, updated 12:32 am)
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
From a distance, they looked like a regular crowd of people enjoying a nice evening walk on the shores of Lincoln Park. But they were gathered here for a singular purpose: to scream. Since September 2025, the Scream Club Seattle has met at Lincoln Park on every third Sunday to scream, led by head organizer Amber Walcker. No explanation, justification, or invitation to scream is needed – come as you are. “There are some harder emotions people come here to deal with, sure, but some people also just come to scream.” head organizer Amber explained.
Tonight’s crowd showed the club is rapidly growing. From around a dozen or so participants in the first gathering in September, tonight seemed to attract around 40 people gathering to let it all out.
As the sun started to set, and everyone was finally gathered together, the Scream Club was ready to begin.
There are only three screams, organizer Amber explained. The first, she said, is a scream to get used to doing it in public. The second scream is there to ground you. And the final – and longest scream – is there to let you have an emotional catharsis.
She also wanted to make sure people were taking care of their vocal health beforehand. As she told everyone to walk a little bit from the meeting place and start to gather near the shore, she instructed the crowd to hum for a few minutes on the way, to warm up the vocal cords.
With that, the crowd walked towards the shore.
“On the count of one – two – three – scream!” said organizer Amber.
You can see our video of the proceedings here. After the screaming, we talked to a few participants about why they came out.
“There’s not one thing that’s really making me want to scream. There’s a lot of stuff going on for me, a lot of emotional ups and downs. Screaming into the ocean together gives you a sense of community.” said Jessie.
“This is my third or fourth time coming to scream. With the political climate, with everything that’s happening, getting together with local community to scream feels more productive than screaming into the internet on social media.” said Ursula.
“This is my first time coming out.” said Liz. “I screamed after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and I really felt something. I realized I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration recently, and it felt like coming here was a healthy way to get it out rather than screaming at your neighbors.”
Organizer Amber recognizes much of what they were saying. “Meeting like this can be an important element to have in your mental health toolbox. It’s rare to have scream therapy.” She shared an anecdote about the therapeutic origins of the group, which originally started with a chapter in Chicago. “The founder was a life coach. Their girlfriend was having a bad day, and they encouraged them to go to the Chicago Pier and just let it out. He walked her through the process, and that was that. Eventually they invited more people to come do it.” She hopes to bring that same therapeutic energy to the practice here. “It’s a moment of emotional release more than anything else. Depending on what’s going on in people’s minds, everyone will come here with a different mindset and purpose. We’re providing a safe space to do that.”
Scream Club Seattle meets at Lincoln Park on the first Sunday of every month, and they are also starting to meet on the third Sunday of every month at Golden Gardens in Ballard. Tentatively, the next events will be in Lincoln Park on April 5th around 6 PM, and Golden Gardens on March 15th around 5 PM. If you’d like to know more, you can find them on Instagram here or look at their future events on their Eventbrite page here.
Seattle, WA
Detectives Investigating Robbery, Shooting Over $20 Necklace – SPD Blotter
Seattle police detectives are investigating a robbery and shooting of a 23-year-old man over a $20 necklace in Pioneer Square this morning.
At about 12:40 a.m., patrol officers responded to a shooting in the 500 block of 2nd Avenue. There, they found a victim, bleeding, with a gunshot wound to his right thigh. Police and the Seattle Fire Department treated his injury. Medics took him to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in stable condition.
Police determined that the victim just left a bar, getting into the passenger seat of his friend’s car, when the suspect, wearing a ski mask and armed with a firearm, approached him and demanded his necklace. They struggled over the item, and the suspect shot the victim in the leg. The shooter fled in a vehicle with the necklace before police arrived. The value of the “chain” is about $20.
Detectives in the Robbery Unit responded to the scene and HMC. Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.
Incident Number: 2026-57536
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts5 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO5 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers