Mariners: Lefty reliever options to even out the 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.