Looking ahead at the Seattle Mariners 2020 Starting Rotation

With the suspension of spring training not knowing when it will resume because of the Coronavirus, look at the Mariners starting rotation.

The Mariners starting five-man rotation going into what was supposed to be the last two weeks of spring training looked like it was going to be better than we may have expected. Now we don’t know when training camp will resume (though mid-April at the earliest unless something about the virus changes in the meantime).

Marco Gonzales looked like he was on the way to a good beginning for the opening game at home in Seattle on March 26. Yusei Kikuchi worked on his mechanics and could have been ready to be the 2nd starter in fine fashion.

Kendall Graveman looked like he recovered from Tommy John’s surgery and earned a spot in the rotation. Justus Sheffield was having a nice spring as well and could have followed Graveman in the rotation. The Mariners have three lefties in the rotation with Gonzales, Kikuchi, and Sheffield, so they would have to break up in the rotation which is why Graveman would be likely starting after Kikuchi.

Taijuan Walker is coming back to the fold like Graveman recovering from Tommy John too. The Mariners were keeping him back where Walker recently made his first start of the spring.

Justin Dunn was competing for the 5th spot in the rotation with Walker and has had a good spring himself. The thought was he would be the 5th starter or go to triple-A to begin the season. The way he had been pitching, the Mariners could consider going with a six-man rotation.

When the Mariners resume action the possibility of going with a six-man rotation might be happening. This would mean the Mariners would have a seven-man bullpen.

Since we don’t know when the season will begin, so much is up in the air. I am sure in a month we will have more questions that will be answered. It is so disappointing for this to happen, but nothing we can do except let things work out. Go M’s.