The Mariners bullpen looks shaky despite a busy offseason

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said he would add to the Mariners bullpen and he delivered, but the new additions aren’t pitching as well as we expected in Spring Training. Let’s take a look at how our bullpen options are performing in Peoria.

Mariners bullpen – struggling newcomers

Keynan Middleton

The former Angels reliever has had one of the most disastrous starts to Mariners Spring Training. In five appearances, he has allowed nine runs. To make matters worst, Keynan has allowed five home runs and nine total hits. His five innings come out to a 16.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, and .450 batting average allowed.

The Mariners took a chance on the hard-throwing right-hander who had Tommy John Surgery in 2018 and a rough 2020 season. Luckily for Jerry Dipoto, we didn’t invest too much in Middleton who agreed to $800k guaranteed. It’s not the end of the road for Middleton but his current form is not ideal. Let’s hope he can turn things around quickly because when he is at his best, he can shut teams down and the Mariners know first hand.

Rafael Montero

In mid-December, the Mariners acquired Rafael Montero from the Texas Rangers. Montero revitalized his career after converting to a reliever post-Tommy John surgery. I was pretty excited about adding Rafael Montero who is the most likely to be the ninth-inning guy after closing for the Rangers last season.

But, like Middleton, the 30-year-old reliever has struggled in Arizona up to this point. Montero has thrown four innings and allowed four earned runs. He’s allowed five hits, one home run, and one walk which comes out as a 9.00 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.

Will Vest

The Mariners selected Will Vest in the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft, a former member of the Detroit Tigers organization. I was intrigued by Vest after reading about him and watching videos because he’s got a hard fastball with an electric changeup. But, he hasn’t been able to perform in Spring Training.

In 7.2 innings, he’s allowed seven earned runs on ten hits, two home runs, and three walks. His Spring stat line: 8.22 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, and .357 opposing batters average. On the positive side, he has struck out eight batters. Since he is a Rule 5 pick, he needs to be on the 2021 26-man roster or he will be returned to the Tigers.

Paul Sewald

Paul Sewald was one of three minor league deals agreed to on January 7th. Roenis Elias and Jantzen Witte were the other two. After reading up on the former Mets reliever, I was hyped to bring him to Seattle. Sewald hasn’t had any success in the MLB, but his advanced metrics were decent, he has a funky delivery, and a nasty frisbee slider.

Although he is on a minor league deal, Sewald has been given a decent amount of time on the mound. But, in those four innings, he has allowed five earned runs on nine hits and one walk. But he has struck out eight batters, averaging two K’s an inning. At the moment, it doesn’t look like he will be making the bullpen unless he can turn the ship around quickly.

Now, let’s move onto struggling returners.

Mariners bullpen – some returners are struggling

Kendall Graveman

Seattle brought back Kendall Graveman on a one-year deal and was one of the first moves Jerry Dipoto made in the offseason. So far, he hasn’t been all that impressive. Right now, he owns a 6.35 Spring Training ERA and allowed seven hits in five and two-thirds innings.

Kendall has also walked two batters which brings his WHIP up to 1.59. The right-hander hasn’t been as bad as some of the pitchers named on the last page, but my expectations are high for Graveman.

Yohan Ramirez

The hard-throwing reliever is coming off of a Dominican Winter League Championship and we’re hoping that he could have another decent season this year. But, in Ramirez’s one outing in Arizona, he was extremely wild.

Walks were a big issue last season and it showed again. In his one inning pitched, Yohan has allowed two earned runs without giving up a hit. He hit two batters and walked one batter. Not a very good start for Ramirez.

Brandon Brennan

Brandon Brennan has been with the Mariners for two years and has been a decent option out of the pen. But, Brennan is another player that has struggled in the first two weeks of camp and gave up two earned runs in two innings of work. He has allowed three hits and four walks.

Apparently, his two innings didn’t impress the coaching staff, since he was optioned to the minor leagues at the beginning of the week. It is very likely that we will see him in 2021, but not on Opening Day.

Gerson Bautista

Gerson Bautista came to Seattle with Jarred Kelenic and we haven’t heard a whole lot about him since he joined. Bautista actually became a free agent at the end of last year, but Seattle brought him back on a minor league deal.

Now with something to prove, the 25-year-old right-hander has been given ample opportunities. He has worked five innings and a third but has allowed three runs which equals a 5.06 ERA. He has allowed seven hits, one home run, and a whopping six walks without a strikeout.

Wyatt Mills

I was really excited to see how Wyatt Mills would perform this Spring, but he pitched himself out of major league camp. In one and two-thirds innings of work, he allowed four earned runs on five hits and a walk. Mills also allowed one home run and blew a save.

Not exactly what you want to see from the Mariners prospect. He was recently optioned alongside Brennan, but we still might see Mills this year during the season. Wyatt hasn’t pitched in Triple-A yet, but after he gets some time he could easily be called up.

Now, let’s end on a positive note. Here are some Mariners bullpen guys who are pitching well.