Seattle Mariners add more quantity to looming bullpen battle
Ed Stein
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The more, the merrier. At least that’s how the Seattle Mariners are building their 2021 bullpen after adding two more MLB vets to the mix this week.
When spring training finally arrives (don’t count on it starting in February), the Seattle Mariners will have a battle royale for bullpen jobs. There were already 11 relievers on the 40-man roster with a more than 50/50 shot to make the team. Several of them are shoo-ins, Yohan Ramirez, Anthony Misiewicz, Nick Margevicius, and Kendall Graveman.
The M’s also signed four pitchers to minor league contracts with Major League experience to compete for spots, including Matt Magill. So 11 pitchers are fighting for four spots. That doesn’t include a rookie such as Wyatt Mills or Sam Delaplane stepping up.
With that competition as a backdrop, Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto added two more relievers to the mix the past two days. First, he traded young prospect Jose Corniel and a player to be named later to Texas for Rafael Montero. Then former Angels reliever Keynan Middleton signed as a free agent. This came on the heels of signing Chris Flexen from the Korean league and selecting Will Vest in the Rule 5 draft last week.
The new guys
Rafael Montero has 239 innings of Major League experience since he debuted in 2014 with the New York Mets. At one point, the righty was a top 100 prospect. A shaky 2017 season followed by Tommy John surgery put an end to that.
Montero signed with Texas in 2019 and has been a reliable member of the Rangers bullpen ever since. In 22 appearances, Montero has a 3.08 ERA. During the 2020 season, Texas decided to utilize his 95 mph fastball in a closer’s role. He converted eight of nine save opportunities. The Rangers record was 13-4 in games he pitched. Not bad, considering the team had only 22 wins.
Hailing from Milwaukie, Oregon, just outside Portland, Keynan Middleton has been up and down with the Angels for the last four seasons. He has a career 3.48 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 95.2 innings. Like Montero, Middleton also had Tommy John surgery in 2018.
At least he has a fan in Seattle. During his media zoom call Wednesday, M’s manager Scott Servais said Middleton has an opportunity to stick with Seattle.
I have history with Keynan Middleton. I was with the Angels when we first drafted him (2013). So knowing him and how he’s wired, I think it’s a really good opportunity for people to come in and join our bullpen and take on significant new roles if they throw the ball well.
Is more better?
The Seattle Mariners have plenty of depth in the bullpen. Whether that translates to a quality relief staff remains to be seen. Aside from the four shoo-ins mentioned earlier (and they haven’t put up great numbers), just about every other relief pitcher Seattle has is a big question mark.
Recently, MLB is trending towards more relief innings. Servais isn’t shy to go to his pen. If all Seattle has is a bunch of glorified batting practice pitchers, it doesn’t matter how many they use. Mariners fans are waiting for Dipoto to acquire some quality pitchers with a demonstrable track record.
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What do you think about the Seattle Mariners recent bullpen moves? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.