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.

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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.

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