Can this Mariners lefty reliever bounce back from his rocky 2024?

Gabe Speier is one of just two southpaws on the Seattle Mariners' pitching staff. After spending the first few years of his career with the Royals, he was claimed off waivers in November 2022 and had a decent first year in Seattle, pitching to a 3.79 ERA over 54 2/3 innings in 2023.

Last season, a strained rotator cuff limited his ability to stay on the field, and it was an ugly season for him across the board. Now with the team at full strength in spring training, it looks like he's ready to return to form.

In a recent report from the Mariners' facility in Peoria, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported Speier has seemed more like his old self in recent bullpen sessions. He seems to have regained velocity on his fastball, a big potential indicator of what's to come. From 2023-2024, he lost 2.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and 1.6 mph on his sinker on average. While he still managed to find success with his heater, opposing hitters averaged .480 against his sinker, a pitch largely responsible for his 5.70 ERA.

“The velo is back. Obviously, last year I was dealing with some stuff. This offseason was great. I put in a lot of hard work, and it’s cool to see results," Speier said. "You put in all that work, and you kind of hope that it’s back. It’s definitely a good feeling to see it in the first bullpen back, everything ticked up.”

Divish added that, in the process of chasing his old velocity, Speier's command suffered significantly, citing the increase in walk rate from 5.1% in 2023 to 13.5% in 2024. Another piece of the puzzle is his chase rate, which was a league-leading 39.7% in 2023, but fell to a below-average 27.9% in 2024, suggesting bigger misses outside of the zone and fewer tempting offerings on the corners.

If Speier is at full strength, what does that mean for the team? First and foremost, it fills one of the few glaring weaknesses on the pitching staff which is a lack of lefties. Second, it gives an already elite group of arms even more variety.

When healthy, he has been outstanding at inducing soft contact, placing in the 91st percentile for ground-ball rate in 2023. Other arms in the bullpen that are set to return next year are your more traditional power pitchers, giving manager Dan Wilson even more flexibility depending on which opposing hitters he'll have to face next. With a healthy Speier, Matt Brash, and soon-to-be fully recovered Gregory Santos, the sky's the limit for this group of Seattle relievers.