Mariners' Matt Brash unexpectedly shares good news amid nightmare spring training

Matt Brash is someone who isn't used to making headlines with the Seattle Mariners — in fact he's more than happy about this. However, he's had to get used to receiving more than his fair share of attention already this year, and the regular season hasn't even started yet!

First, despite the Mariners sending the most representatives to the World Baseball Classic out of all 30 Major League teams, what drew most of the focus was the fact that Brash wasn't going. Fair or not, this led to speculation about why he wasn't going to play for Team Canada, especially considering how proud he is of his country and having played for them in the previous WBC back in 2023.

In the end, the reasoning for Brash's absence was actually commendable, with him wanting to instead focus on getting ready for the long season ahead with the Mariners, also factoring in the previous Tommy John surgery which kept him out of action for more than a year. However, than came an unfortunate turn of events which kept him uncomfortably (quite literally) in the spotlight.

Matt Brash gives new life to dentist phobias

As per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Brash had been dealing with a cracked tooth for quite a while and following a checkup he was advised to see an oral surgeon about the issue. He was recommended to have an extraction, which he thought would be fine given that it was spring training, but this resulted in some unforeseen complications that left him with a swollen face and unable to eat solid food.

Now though, with the swelling going down every day, Mariners fans will be relieved to hear the good news that Brash is also feeling 100 percent after a normal offseason with no rehab. Coming off his best bullpen since the Tommy John surgery, he said:

"Even all last year, my arm felt fine, but your body feels a little different. You’re not moving the same. And maybe I was trying a little too hard to throw hard, or whatever it was. So yesterday, when I was (throwing) off the mound, I was at 95-96 mph and throwing nice and easy. It was super smooth."

Matt Brash

One of the big things Brash is still working on is getting his velocity back up, which would be massive for the Mariners. His sinker averaged 98.5 mph in 2023 but was down to 96.4 mph last year which, while still really good, is still a 2 mph difference which is a heck of a margin for error.

Brash's continued improvement and decision to forego the WBC also alludes to him potentially providing better durability for a bullpen which could have used more last season. Yes he still more than did his part once he returned in early May, but thoughts turn to the 2023 campaign when he led all Major League relievers with 78 appearances and pitched a career-high 70.2 combined innings.

Mariners bullpen among the best

If Brash truly is all the way back, then the M's bullpen has the potential to be truly potent, when you combine him with the likes of two-time All-Star Andrés Muñoz, Team USA member Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and offseason trade acquisition Jose A. Ferrer. As per Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports, he said:

"Ferrer has amazing stuff. I’m just excited. I feel like I’m going to be fully healthy, have my A-1 stuff back. Then obviously Muni and Gabe are going to do their thing. I feel like if we have the lead going late in the game, we should be very confident in all of our abilities to get the job done."

Matt Brash

And not that the 27-year-old needs any extra motivation, there's the additional element of healthy competition when it comes to which Mariners arm on the staff has the best pitch. Some may point to Bryan Woo's fastball, Logan Gilbert's splitter or Munoz's slider.

However, when Brash is in the zone (pun unintended), it's actually his own slider which arguably trumps everyone else's top pitch in the organization. The 50th season of Mariners baseball promises to be a special one, and his return to full health only offers more encouragement for what lays ahead in the coming months.