Projecting the Pitchers: 15 arms that could start the season with Mariners

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With baseball looking to get started again sooner rather than later it’s time to start projecting the Mariners’ roster. Rumors predict an expanded roster of 30 players and one can assume that half of the roster will be made up of pitchers, so today we take a look at 15 pitchers that could “break camp” with the Mariners.

Before getting started we need to remember that Mariners pitchers won’t have as much time to get ready for the season in spring training part two, so more arms will be needed.

Some teams might consider going with a six-man rotation to spread out the innings and provide starting pitchers with more rest, while others might load up on bullpen arms that can cover multiple innings.

The delay to start the season could be good news for players coming off of injury which might make certain pitchers available to start the season where if the season started on time they would not have been ready. All of that is taken into account as well as other factors such as Rule 5 status (that’s a hint on one particular pitcher) and whether or not the player has option years remaining.

Ready to see which pitchers will make the team? Click below to see the starting pitchers.

The Mariners Rotation

PEORIA, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 24: Starting pitcher Marco Gonzales #7 of the Seattle Mariners pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the frist inning of the MLB spring training game at Peoria Stadium on February 24, 2020 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The starting pitchers the Mariners will have on their Opening Day roster should be pretty easy to predict. I do have the Mariners going with a six-man rotation, but it’s the sixth man to start the season that could have some surprise.

Starting pitchers (6):

The first five here are pretty easy to figure out. Barring injury in the ramping up to Opening Day, we already knew those five pitchers would be in the rotation.

It was the sixth spot that I had a hard time with.

I originally had Nestor Cortes in the sixth spot, not because he’s better than Gilbert, but because I wasn’t sure if Gilbert was ready to “start” the season with the Mariners.

With the shortened season and the development of players still being the focus, it was vital to get Gilbert facing Major League hitters as soon as possible. A case could be made for Justin Dunn (who I’m sure will be on the proposed “taxi” squad), but in the end, Gilbert had a strong opening spring training, while I’d still like to see Dunn work on a third pitch and commanding it a bit more before making the jump to the majors.

The Mariners Bullpen

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JUNE 25: Austin Adams #63 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after getting the strikeout to end the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on June 25, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

This is where the roster construction gets a bit interesting. The team could go multiple ways in building the bullpen. Do they put a pitcher like Dunn in the bullpen so he can cover multiple innings if needed? Do they load up on multi-inning relievers to ease the burden on the rotation? What about a couple of spot starters in case the starting rotation gets taxed early in the season?

Relief Pitchers (9):

The delay to the start of the season helped Adams a ton. If the season would have opened on time, Adams would have started the season on the injured list, but with the delay he’s in line to make the team out of camp.

Brennan and Magill were solid last year for the Mariners and Hirano and Edwards were brought in as free agents so they are all obviously on the team.

Swanson found a home in the bullpen last year and fits the need for a multi-inning reliever that could be very useful in this shortened season.

Guilbeau shows promise as a left-handed reliever, and again I debated Cortes here instead but figured he’d be on the “taxi” squad if needed.

I was really torn on Ramirez. I see him very similarly to Gerson Bautista (who also was under consideration), but in the end his Rule 5 status won out. I don’t think the Mariners want to lose Ramirez, so he will open camp on the roster.

The hardest decision was Altavilla, who is out of options and has to make the club or be outrighted from the 40-man roster. Altavilla has always had potential but has struggled to put it together for extended periods of time.

My gut said Sam Delaplane should be in this spot, but my head said that the Mariners probably don’t want to expose Altavilla to waivers as he’d probably get snapped up by a rebuilding club, which is what the Mariners are, so they might as well keep him to start the season and see if he can get it figured out.

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So there you have it, 15 pitchers projected for the team’s Opening Day roster. Things could change and I assume there will be plenty of movement between the roster and the taxi squad.

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