Seattle Mariners: 5 Free Agent Relief Pitching Targets

For every positional group Jerry Dipoto has traded from this offseason, he’s addressed the holes he initially opened. That has not been the case for the Mariners’ bullpen, which has seen the departures of five key relievers.

Of course, bullpen is usually not at the top of the list in a rebuilding year for any general manager. But the Mariners will look to field a competitive 25-man roster come late March, and there are roughly only a handful of pitchers you could realistically pencil into their bullpen as of now.

Edwin Díaz‘s departure was the biggest hit Seattle’s bullpen took this offseason, following a historic 57-save season. That’s left a large crater in the Mariners’ closer role, one that Jerry Dipoto has claimed he will fill externally.

It’d be best to temper expectations when thinking about the M’s targeting a closer, though. Their hunt won’t lead them to Craig Kimbrel or Cody Allen, but perhaps to someone that can build decent enough trade value over the next year or two.

The search may not stop there, however, as the Mariners are lacking in terms of depth and are in a great position to take a flyer or two.

Relievers are the biggest crapshoot in baseball, but Seattle has proven to be capable of successfully putting together a respectable bullpen over the years.

LHP LUIS AVILÁN

The Mariners have struggled to acquire bullpen help in free agency, especially from the left-hand side (we’re looking at you, Marc Rzepczysnki). With the departures of James Pazos and Zach Duke, Seattle’s very limited with left-handed options for their ‘pen with just Roenis Elías and Zac Rosscup currently on their 40-man roster.

Enter Luis Avilán, who was non-tendered by the Phillies back in November. The 29-year-old southpaw had a solid year for the White Sox and Phillies, posting a 3.09 FIP and 10.13 K/9.

Where Avilán struggled was with damage control, only notching a left-on-base percentage of 70.2%. That’s a solid indicator of why there’s such a massive gap between his innings totals (45.1) and his 70 appearances.

Avilán is also the true definition of a LOOGY, which is basically like acquiring half a pitcher. In 2018, left-handed hitters slashed .217/.304/.341 against Avilán, whereas righties hit for .277/.346/.387.

Those numbers against lefties will keep him in the league for some time, however. Even with the negatives, Avilán’s been a serviceable pitcher and could provide some value for the Mariners come July or August.

RHP HUNTER STRICKLAND

Of all the closing candidates out in free agency, this may be the most realistic option for the Mariners. For most of the mid-2010s, Hunter Strickland was a dominant force at the back-end of the San Francisco Giants’ bullpen and established himself as one of the game’s premier late-inning relievers.

In 2018, Strickland was given the keys to the Giants’ closer role after Mark Melancon was ruled out for most of the season. Strickland was 14 of 18 in save opportunities, but his last blown save would end up being detrimental to his season and his Giants career.

After allowing three runs on three hits and two walks to the Marlins, Strickland lost control and punched a clubhouse door in frustration, fracturing his hand and landing on the disabled list until mid-August. Upon his return, Melancon had returned and Strickland was eased back in to his usual role.

But the injury lingered and Strickland’s performance suffered, wrapping up his season with a 6.82 FIP in the 15 games since his return. The Giants would go on to non-tender him in late November.

It’s hard for me to look at the end of Strickland’s season and think that’s the pitcher he’s become. At just 30-years-old, there’s great bounce-back opportunity there for him and the Mariners give an ideal stress-free environment to build his value back up.

RHP DAVID PHELPS

We had high hopes for David Phelps entering the 2018 season, following a strong 2017 in which the Mariners acquired him near the trade deadline. The dynamic 32-year-old pitcher dominated in his 10 appearances with the M’s, hurling an 11.42 K/9 and 2.70 FIP in that time.

Going into 2018, the quartet of Phelps, Nick Vincent, Juan Nicasio, and Edwin Díaz was exciting. But that all changed when Phelps pulled himself out of a Spring Training appearance versus the Angels with discomfort in his right elbow, which was later revealed to be a torn UCL, ultimately ending his season.

Phelps was in the final year of his deal, making him a free agent this offseason. Given that the Mariners have been with him every step of the way through his rehab, there should be an expected level of comfortability between Phelps and the organization in getting him back on track.

The talent is there, but how Phelps responds to the surgery remains to be seen. However, there is a lot of buy-low potential in Phelps and the Mariners have the inside edge on him. It’s definitely worth taking a flyer on.

LHP JAKE DIEKMAN

When the Mariners were in search of a secondary left-handed option for their bullpen last year, we were pounding the table for Jake Diekman. Instead, they acquired Zach Duke. Both players wound up being busts for their respective new teams, but perhaps a move back to the AL West would help get Diekman back on track.

Diekman had a very strange 2018 season. The Rangers fell well short of expectations, featuring a young, constantly fluctuating bullpen that Diekman was awkwardly put in the middle of. This came off of a 2017 campaign Diekman missed most of following surgery to remove his colon.

The 31-year-old reliever bounced back well enough in 2018 to earn himself a trade to a playoff contender in the Diamondbacks, but struggled with command issues and a bit of bad luck.

The weirdest aspect of his year were his splits. Known for normally being a well-balanced pitcher against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, Diekman was awful against lefties and dominant against righties, which is the complete opposite of expectations for a modern day left-handed reliever.

Against left-handed hitters, Diekman was torched for a .329/.443/.438 line. Meanwhile, right-handed opponents struggled to the tune of .188/.303/.321. Simply put, Diekman is not a LOOGY.

Career-wise, Diekman has fared a lot better against lefties, who’ve slashed just .233/.329/.309 against him over the years. That gives me more confidence in saying that his balanced ability to get hitters out on both sides of the plate, as well as his high strikeout numbers, would translate extremely well to a closer’s role, something he’s never had the opportunity to fulfill.

Diekman could be a dominant closer in the right opportunity, and that very well may be in Seattle. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not a problem for the Mariners in a year they aim to take a step back in.