Seattle, WA

Why the Seattle Mariners 'feel great' about their 2025 bullpen

Published

11 months ago

February 6, 2025

Why the Seattle Mariners 'feel great' about their 2025 bullpen

After being a major part of the team’s success in recent years, the bullpen was a surprising factor in the Seattle Mariners’ downfall last season.

GM Hollander: How Seattle Mariners view their infield for 2025

The overall numbers for the group were actually pretty solid. It finished ninth among MLB teams in ERA (3.71), 15th in FIP (3.91) and fourth in strikeout rate (9.57 K/9) while surrendering the second-least amount of hard contact (27.1%). But when the Mariners struggled for the first two months of the summer and saw their 10-game lead in the American League West crumble in a record-setting 24 days, a number of blow-ups from the bullpen were a main culprit.

From June 19 to Aug. 21, many of the numbers listed above declined steeply while the team went through a brutal 20-33 run. Seattle’s bullpen ranked 20th in ERA (4.20), 22nd in FIP (4.31) and eighth in strikeout rate (9.52 K/9) while giving up the 11th-least amount of hard contact (30.0%). During that stretch, the bullpen produced a minus-0.5 fWAR and nearly as many blown saves (15) as saves (18).

The Mariners didn’t add a significant piece to their bullpen this offseason, but general manager Justin Hollander is confident in the group heading into 2025. He explained why during a conversation Wednesday with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

The anticipated return of hard-throwing right-hander Matt Brash is a big reason.

“I mostly feel great about the bullpen because Matt is doing great, and really, really we missed Matt a lot last year,” Hollander said. “I can’t overstate how valuable he is as sort of a fixer. We would call him the pivot man or a setup man in previous iterations of bullpen construction. He’s one of the best relievers in baseball.”

Brash was a major component in Seattle’s bullpen in 2022 and 2023. He was often called upon to use elite ability to miss bats to escape jams with runners on base. In 2023, he led MLB with 78 games pitched and posted a 3.06 ERA with 107 strikeouts over 70 2/3 innings. All-Star Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista was the only reliever to strike out more batters that season.

However, Brash didn’t throw a pitch during the 2024 season for the Mariners. He started the year on the injured list with right elbow inflammation before eventually undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

“He is doing phenomenally well,” Hollander said of Brash’s rehab process. “I would anticipate that he’s back in big league games, if he stays on track, by the end of April – which is a big boost for our club.”

A healthy Brash would give the Mariners another high-leverage reliever to bridge the gap to All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz. Seattle is hoping right-hander Gregory Santos can have a healthy season, too, after he battled multiple injuries in 2024.

Hollander also pointed to the emergence of right-hander Colin Snider and the performances of fellow righties Trent Thornton and Eduard Bazardo as reasons to be optimistic about the bullpen.

“We feel like we have a really good bullpen from the right side,” Hollander said.

As for the lefties? The Mariners are set to welcome back Tahoma High School alum Tayler Saucedo (who has a 3.54 ERA over 86 1/3 innings in two seasons with Seattle) and are hoping for a rebound campaign from Gabe Speier. Speier posted a 3.79 ERA over 54 2/3 innings in 2023, but struggled after a strong April last year. After allowing only one run in 12 April appearances, Speier had five outings with two runs allowed in May before landing on the IL with a rotator cuff strain in his pitching arm. He bounced between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma after returning and finished the year with a 5.70 ERA in 23 2/3 big league innings.

“(We) feel like he’s going to come back and has had a really good offseason building into what we think will be a big bounce back for him this year,” Hollander said.

Listen to the full conversation with Mariners general manager Justin Hollander at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Dipoto Speaks: What we learned about Seattle Mariners’ offseason
• Salk: Are the M’s better? 5 things you have to buy into to say yes
• Voter who passed on Ichiro for HOF still mystery after 81% of ballots released

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Seattle, WA

Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

Heavyweights will collide in “Rain City.”

MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today (Thurs., Jan. 8, 2026) that No. 10-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Marcin Tybura will take on surging Brazilian prospect Valter Walker at UFC Seattle on Sat., March 28, 2026, inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Walker (15-1) stumbled out of the gate in his UFC debut, suffering a loss to Lukasz Brzeski in 2024. Since then, however, “Clean Monster” has completely rewritten the narrative — and the UFC record books.

Walker opened 2025 by submitting Don’Tale Mayes with a heel hook (watch highlights), his second straight victory via the technique. Five months later, he followed it up with another first-round heel hook against Kennedy Nzechukwu (watch highlights), setting a new UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submission wins with three.

But he wasn’t finished.

At UFC 321 in Oct. 2025, Walker once again locked in a first-round heel hook — this time against Louie Sutherland — tying Rousimar Palhares for the most heel hook submissions (four) in UFC history while extending his own record for consecutive heel hook finishes (watch it).

A win in Seattle would almost certainly vault Walker into the Top 10 of the Heavyweight rankings.

Tybura (27-10), meanwhile, will be defending his No. 10 spot when he steps into the cage. The Polish veteran went 1-1 in 2025, handing highly touted U.K. prospect Mick Parkin his first professional loss at UFC London before suffering a quick knockout loss to debuting Ante Delija at UFC Paris (watch highlights), snapping a two-fight win streak.

Now 40 years old, Tybura is 5-3 over his last eight appearances.

Here are some other bouts currently scheduled for UFC Seattle:

Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes

Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber

Nicolle Caliari vs. Carol Fiori

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Seattle, WA

Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building

SEATTLE, Wash. – There were at least 200 protesters that showed up in Seattle Wednesday night in what speakers called an “emergency protest” in response to the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday.

“We want justice, we want peace, we want justice, we want peace, we want ICE off our streets, we want ice off our streets…” they chanted.

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Seattle protesters outside the Federal Building following a fatal shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis. (FOX 13 Seattle)

After listening to speakers, protesters went on the march and circled the blocks near the Federal Building in Seattle.

Though the protest was organized on short notice, some protesters say they were compelled to come out Wednesday with urgency because they felt what happened in Minneapolis was a bridge too far.

What they’re saying:

“ICE has gone too far. We’ve felt this, we’ve known this for a long time. There have been people protesting,” said Raleigh Watts, protesting the ICE shooting. “We’ve been hearing the news. Today I came out because when I heard, it was my sign that a line has been crossed that I can’t stand anymore. So, I’ve come to say, ‘No ICE, you’ve gone too far’.”

“A lot of people out here are really, really angry, confused and sad, but I think we have what it takes to fight back,” said Sophia Van Beek, protesting the MN ICE shooting. “I’m certain there are going to be actions.”

Sophia says in order to make a difference, protesters need to create an actionable political program.

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Members of law enforcement were in the area and helped to block off the streets during the protest and march. There were no clashes during this protest and it wrapped up at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I am proud of all the hundreds of people who have turned out tonight at the federal building in Seattle. I’m proud of the people who are in Tacoma that are protesting at the ice detention center and in Minneapolis and in cities across the country. This is not okay for ICE to kill somebody,” said Watts.

What’s next:

Some people at Wednesday’s demonstration said they were planning to organize more protests in the coming weeks.

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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle groups join national protest against ICE raids following Minneapolis shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Seattle groups join national protest against ICE raids following Minneapolis shooting

SEATTLE — Seattle activists are rallying to demand justice on Wednesday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.

The Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) and Seattle Against War (SAW) have organized an emergency press conference to protest the incident.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in Seattle.

Woman killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis; Mayor tells ICE to ‘get the f***’ out

The shooting occurred on Wednesday morning at the corner of 34th and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. According to preliminary information, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, the woman was sitting in her vehicle blocking the roadway when a federal law enforcement officer approached on foot. When the vehicle began to drive away, at least two shots were fired, and the vehicle crashed on the side of the road.

In response, emergency protests have erupted in Minneapolis and are expected to continue through Jan. 11.

The Seattle groups are joining the Legalization 4 All Network in calling for an immediate end to ICE raids and mass deportations.

They are also demanding justice and accountability for the woman who was killed, including the release of the name of the ICE agent involved and the names of all agents participating in such operations.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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