Mariners' latest injury should have Jerry Dipoto ready to go full 'Trader Jerry'

Whatever you do, don't look at the Seattle Mariners' bullpen depth right now. The pen is down three key relievers now that Gabe Speier has joined Matt Brash and Carlos Vargas on the IL, resulting in a bunch of unfamiliar names underneath Andrés Muñoz and Eduardo Bazardo.

The 31-year-old lefty has inflammation in his pitching shoulder, which is about as ominous as it sounds. Per FanGraphs' database, 23 pitchers spent time on the IL with shoulder inflammation last year. A couple were back as soon as their 15-day IL stints were over, but the average number of regular-season days missed (65) hints at a potential two-month timeline.

One of those pitchers was George Kirby, and the Mariners' experience with him should have them spooked. He just wasn't the same pitcher after he finally made his season debut on May 22 last year, and is only now looking more like the guy who was an ace-caliber starter in 2023 and 2024.

If a similar struggle does await Speier when he's able to pitch again, that would be bad news. He was already not quite himself this year, pitching to a 2.92 ERA but with worse strikeout, walk and hit rates than the ones he had in his breakout season in 2025.

Jerry Dipoto should already be eyeing big-name relievers on the trade market

For now, Speier's IL stint adds further clarity to why the Mariners claimed José Suarez from the Braves on Sunday. But it's not too soon for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto to be thinking about slipping into his "Trader Jerry" persona, especially with the trade market purportedly heating up earlier than usual.

Given that he's also left-handed, this is all the more reason for Dipoto to ponder a trade with the Boston Red Sox for Aroldis Chapman. Even at 38 years of age, he keeps finding new gears as he runs his ERA for the last two seasons down to 1.11.

Though they've started to snap out of it lately, the Philadelphia Phillies are another fallen contender that might help the Mariners with their bullpen. Jhoan Duran could be available in a hypothetical fire sale, and Seattle notably pushed hard to acquire him last summer.

If they're healthy before the August 3 trade deadline, Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley and Miami Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks could also be targets. The Orioles could also have Yennier Cano on offer. And while Devin Williams and/or Luke Weaver would probably be too rich for the Mariners, the New York Mets could otherwise offer Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazobán in a summer sell-off.

More options are bound to become apparent as the deadline gets closer, and the hope then will be that the Mariners' bullpen isn't already beyond saving. Because even if a starting staff with an MLB-high 208 innings is saving the pen from excess work, it's not a good feeling that there are only two or three relievers that Dan Wilson can rely on right now.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow