Mariners have dug up a potential bullpen weapon with Triple-A closer

The Mariners don't need a closer. In fact, their bullpen is doing just dandy with a 2.04 ERA. But for your consideration for something, please direct your attention to Triple-A Tacoma and to closer Alex Hoppe.

He's 3-for-3 in save opportunities for the Rainiers, the most recent of which saw him do something that has only been done twice at the major league level this decade. He closed the game by striking out all three men he faced on just nine pitches.

All immaculate innings are fluky, but this one doubles as a taste of what Hoppe has been doing for Tacoma so far. He has struck out half of the 18 batters he's faced, otherwise allowing just one hit and two walks.

Mariners' latest pitching gem might be a 27-year-old righty with a 99 mph fastball

This is not the first time Hoppe has appeared on our radar, and that is precisely because of his ability to light up a radar gun. He did it in spring training, and he's doing it for the Rainiers now. Through Tuesday, he owns 19 of the 21 fastest pitches the club has recorded.

He's maxed out at 99.4 mph, with an overall whiff rate of 30.8 percent on the heater. That's well above the Triple-A average of 24.7 percent. He's also gotten good use out of his slider, throwing it 46.6 percent of the time for a 56.3 whiff percentage.

A Mariners reliever who throws hard and has a devastating slider? That sounds familiar, and it's not exactly news that Hoppe has a live arm.

Where he's really beginning to resemble a Mariner is in his control of the strike zone, which is suddenly a lot better than it was in his two seasons in the Boston Red Sox's farm system. He walked 5.0 men per nine innings in 2024 and 2025. His current rate puts him at 3.6 per nine innings.

If he can keep that up while maintaining the electric stuff he's shown so far, the Mariners are only going to be able to go so long without giving him a shot in the majors. The only problem for now is that the pen is kind of full and not at all deficient, at least when it comes to the righties.

However, the bullpen is every team's "Roster Turnover Central." The Mariners are already experiencing this in their own right, as Carlos Vargas didn't even get to make one appearance before he landed on the IL with a lat strain. He's now on the 60-day IL as of Wednesday.

All Hoppe needs to do, then, is keep doing what he's been doing. Sooner or later, the rest should sort itself out.