Seattle Mariners Bullpen: 2021 Opening Day vs. 2020
The returners
Nick Margevicius
Nick Margevicius began 2020 in the bullpen before going into the starting rotation. Margevicius took Kendall Graveman‘s spot when the latter was injured early on in the season. Margevicius is on the roster again this year; however, he is in the bullpen instead of the starting rotation.
He lost the competition for the sixth starter job to Justin Dunn. Last season before going into the rotation Margevicius only pitched three games in relief. Not a large enough sample size to really know how effective he can be. To begin the season, he will be used as a long reliever. We could see him pitch in at least a couple of games in the first two series in Seattle. I would consider Margevicius an upgrade in the bullpen no matter how long he is there.
Anthony Misiewicz
Like Margevicius, Misiewicz is a lefty as wel. However, Misiewicz’s role is as a setup or short reliever. He’ll likely will pitch one inning most of the time. After one year of experience, I consider Misiewicz an upgrade over the pitcher he was a year ago. This spring, Misiewicz pitched in seven games with an era of 1.23, giving up only three hits, walking no batters, and striking out seven.
Casey Sadler (sort of a returner)
The Mariners picked up Casey Sadler from the Chicago Cubs off of waivers on September 5, 2020. He threw 10 innings, earning a 4.50 ERA in seven games. Sadler will most likely pitch this season in the sixth or seventh innings before Middleton or Graveman come in for the eighth inning.