Mariners 25-Man Roster Ultimate Preview: Roster-Projected Bullpen

Sep 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Dan Altavilla (53) pitches in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Dan Altavilla (53) pitches in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 20, 2017; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Casey Fien (38) poses during photo day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2017; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Casey Fien (38) poses during photo day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

RHP- Casey Fien

IP- 28   W- 1   L- 4   ERA- 4.65   WHIP- 1.27   K-43  WAR- .0

Casey Fien was a fixture in the Twins bullpen from 2013-2015. He was never a star, but he was never a weak link. You knew what you could count on with him. You knew you could count on 60+ innings. You knew he was going to hover around a 4.00 ERA.

All of a sudden, in 2016 his reliability disappeared. In 39.1 combined innings with the Twins and Dodgers, he had a 5.49 ERA, and he gave up a remarkable 13 home runs. That’s a rate of 3 home runs per nine innings. That’s not a fun stat.

Related Story: Roster Moves Make Room For Fien

So when Dipoto signed him this offseason, it was a very classic Dipoto signing. A pitcher one year removed from being solid, at a very very cheap price. Dipoto’s philosophy that when you gather a surplus of spare parts, then eventually enough spare parts will be able to do their job.

Which spare part will Fien be? Will he be a reliable innings eater, or will his worrisome trends from last year continue? I don’t think he will be as bad as last year, but I don’t think he is a long term solution. I doubt he finishes out the year in the bullpen.