George Springer's homer was just the start of Eduard Bazardo's Mariners downfall

No one will try to deny the Mariners bullpen has been poor this season, thanks to a nightmare combo of inconsistent performances, ongoing injury issues and a lack of quality options. Perhaps best highlighting the relievers' struggles is Eduard Bazardo, who has followed the best season of his Major League career with his worst. And in some respects, you can make the case that the genesis of his spectacular fall from grace happened last October in Toronto.

Take a look at any area of the Mariners bullpen, and the chances are it doesn't make for pleasant reading. Ahead of Thursday's series finale versus the Rangers, they ranked 23rd in team ERA and 24th in fWAR. The likes of Andrés Muñoz and Jose A. Ferrer haven't pitched up their talent level often enough, while Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas and Cooper Criswell have all missed significant portions of the 2026 campaign.

As for Bazardo, in fairness the first half of this season was excellent for him, as he produced a 2.17 ERA in 40 appearances through the end of June and even earned the unofficial nickname of "Everyday Eduard." Yes, he blew a tight road game versus the White Sox in early May, but overall he wasn't pitching like someone being haunted by visions of George Springer's home run in Game 7 of last year's ALCS. However, once the calendar flipped to July, things really started to go wrong for the 31-year-old.

Eduard Bazardo has quite simply lost his mojo for the Mariners

The mishaps and shaky performances started to become more commonplace, and since July 12 specifically, it's almost unreal just how bad Bazardo has been. We're talking to the tune of a 7.36 ERA, 7.51 FIP and 1.91 WHIP over 24 appearances. Perhaps best summing up how bad he has been, was ironically his rematch with Springer in Toronto last month, when he allowed two crucial runs which included a mental lapse at home plate that had Mariners analyst Angie Mentink losing it.

It's just continued to get worse and worse for Bazardo, with his latest outing on Tuesday evening seeing him allow a season-high four earned runs in just 0.1 innings during a 10-5 loss to the Rangers. What's really befuddled a lot of critics, is the continued insistence on putting him out there in crucial situations despite his clear struggles. Interestingly, this is something which also had a seed sown last October, with plenty of people blaming Dan Wilson for using the Venezuela native when he did in Game 7 of the ALCS.

One question in all of this, is to wonder just how good Bazardo is in general? Is he as good as what he showed most of last season and to begin this year, as bad as he has displayed these past two months, or somewhere in between. Overall, the sentiment seems to indicate he has good stuff but not the best of execution, even just based on this brief breakdown of this season compared to last:

Mariners need to save Eduard Bazardo from himself to get his best possible version

So what does the future hold for Bazardo? In the short-term the Mariners should ideally consider shutting him down, because the guy just looks lost and worn out. However, we appreciate that in reality this isn't going to happen, when considering just what a mess the bullpen is generally at the moment.

Irrespective of what approach the Mariners do take with Bazardo for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, his offseason should be an interesting one. Save for how things pan out with the pending lockout, he's going to be arbitration-eligible for the first time. This is not to allude to him being a non-tender guy based on his performances in 2026, but he has definitely compromised the value of what he will be offered.

From our perspective, we do believe Bazardo can bounce back in 2027, with the ability and productivity he displayed last year still somewhere inside him. However, even if and when he does bounce back, whatever plans the Mariners have for him need to include relegating him to lower leverage work. Last October served as an early indicator which has only been reinforced this season, and it's now past due for the M's to take heed.

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