Mariners: Lefty reliever options to even out the bullpen

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SEATTLE, WA – JULY 3: Reliever Andrew Miller #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch during a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 3, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Cardinals won the game 5-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

The Mariners had an amazing bullpen in 2021. Even though there were some blips and rough stretches with certain relievers (remember Will Vest?), they had a darn good season. According to the fine folks at Fangraphs, they were actually the 4th most valuable bullpen in baseball.

However, they seem a bit right-handed heavy heading into 2022. When you have a boatload of great relievers, it shouldn’t bother you too much. Having a lefty or two that you can add to the mix does make things a lot nicer, if not just from a balance and matchup standpoint.

Think about the relievers that are currently on the team. Steckenrider, Sewald, Sadler, Swanson, Castillo, Giles, Munoz. The only lefty is Anthony Misiewicz. Justus Sheffield potentially gives them a second. Personally, I think it’s where he should be and also the place where he could find the most success as a major leaguer.

Who knows what’s going to happen with Swanson, how Giles will do coming off of injury, and what Munoz will provide after the surgery. I do think that the Mariners could use some left-handed additions to the pen to fill it out. There aren’t a ton of options out there, but there are some good ones. It’s not quite as big of a deal since the essential elimination of the LOOGY (left-handed one out guy) but having a balanced attack still helps.

I’m going to break it up into two sections. All of these guys have had amazing stretches in their career, but some seem to be past their prime. Here are some of the better options out there if the Mariners are looking to add one or two lefties to their bullpen.

Group 1: The Mariners could target a top reliever

Andrew Chafin

Andrew Chafin is someone that a lot of Mariners fans have been wanting to see the team go after. He had an incredible 2021 for both the Cubs and the Athletics, with a 2.06 and a 1.53 ERA, respectively. He appeared in 71 games and threw 68.2 innings, striking out 64.

Chafin used to be a strikeout guy 10.8 per 9 from 2016-2020. He has changed his approach though and sits in the mid 8s. It’s also notable in his walk rate, which is down from 3.9 to 2.5. I think this also correlates to his success, as he gave up more runs when he was a strikeout guy.

Brad Hand

Brad Hand was awful in Toronto this year… over the 8.2 innings he threw there. Other than that, he threw 57 games with a 3.38 ERA. That mark of 3.38 would be his worst season since 2015. Since 2016, he has gone 2.92, 2.16, 2.75, 3.30, 2.05. It’s a long stretch of success, and at just 32 (his 2022 season age) he easily could put together a long run of great seasons still, even if it’s closer to the 2021 numbers.

His K’s were down and the walks were up a bit, but a lefty with a low 3 ERA is something I will take every day of the week.

Tony Watson

Watson was incredible during his time in Pittsburgh, and still pretty good with the Giants. A 2.68 and 3.16 ERA during the two stops. His worst stretch was actually his time with the Angels last year and the only time since his rookie year that he was under a 101 ERA+

Watson could be similar to Joe Smith, the midseason acquisition in 2021. He doesn’t strike a lot of people out but is a consistent veteran that brings stability and leadership to a bullpen… with some darn good numbers to go along with it.

Group 2: The Mariners could get a good reliever that was once great.

Andrew Miller

No, Miller isn’t the guy who made waves in the mid-2010s with one of the most dominant runs we’ve seen by a reliever. From 2013-2017 he had a 1.82 ERA, 1.96 FIP, an ERA+ of 234, and a K rate of 14.5/9. He isn’t that guy anymore.

You know what though? He’s still good.

Over the last four years, he’s got a 4.31 ERA with an 11.2 K/9. It’s not stellar, but he’s still fun to watch and if things work out, would be a steal. A small deal for the 37-year-old with incentives could easily be a win/win for the Mariners and Andrew Miller.

Jake Diekman

Diekman had an amazing all-time 2020 season. 21.1 innings and one earned run, with just eight hits and a 13.1 K rate. Other than that, he’s been a high 3 ERA guy with a good K rate. I almost put him up above, but a rough 2019 and a bad 2018 convinced me to keep him down in group two. He did have awful luck with BABIP those years (.331 and .319).

His numbers may be a little better than they look, as he has a FIP of around 3.40 for his career, and a stronger strikeout rate as he’s gotten older, up to 12.5-13.0 per 9.

Sean Doolittle

Hey, that’s the guy the Mariners had in 2021. Yeah, they could bring him back, and I wouldn’t mind it at all. He hasn’t been as good as he was prior to 2019 but is still solid. He had a bad two-game stretch in Seattle where he gave up five runs in two innings. Other than that, he gave up just one run through nine appearances and 9.1 innings.

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Which one of these guys would you most want the Mariners to go after? It would be nice to see them add another dominant piece to the bullpen, giving them a chance to have one of the best compilation of arms we have seen in quite some time.

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Group 1: The Mariners could target a top reliever

Group 2: The Mariners could get a good reliever that was once great.

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