Mariners' sneaky trade with Dodgers can fill critical roster need in bullpen

Seattle Mariners fans are waking up to news of a trade on Monday, as the club has reportedly swung an early-morning deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire left-handed reliever Joe Jacques.

The trade was reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post on X:

Jacques is a 30-year-old who has appeared in just 25 games in the majors. None of those have come this season, in which he had been pitching for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. He had posted a 6.04 ERA over 18 appearances.

Joe Jacques could fill a critical roster need for Mariners and Dan Wilson

As per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2, right-handed reliever Will Klein is going the other way to the Dodgers. Klein had just been designated for assignment on Saturday to open up a 40-man roster spot for Cole Young.

At first glance, Mariners fans might not perceive much reason to get excited over this deal. Jacques is essentially a journeyman, and one who fits a narrow niche as a left-handed relief specialist.

There's at least one thing to like about his MLB track record, however, and that's that he got ground balls at a 61.9 percent clip. It's about what you'd expect from a side-arming lefty who hides the ball well and relies heavily on a sinker-sweeper combination.

So far in 2025, the average velocity on Jacque's sinker is up to 91.8 mph from 91.0 mph in 2024. He also boasts 24 strikeouts in 22.2 innings, marking an elevated strikeout rate after he fanned less than a better per inning at the Triple-A level in 2024.

Moreover, the New Jersey native has allowed a total of one home run over 65 innings in the minors across the last two seasons. His high ERA therefore obscures a relatively low-risk profile as a guy who can get ground balls, miss bats, and keep the ball in the yard.

Meanwhile in Seattle, Gabe Speier has been going it alone as Dan Wilson's sole left-handed option out of the bullpen. He's having a terrific year with a 2.01 ERA and strong peripherals, but the innings he's had to work in the middle of games would be better outsourced to someone else. The more high-leverage work he can do for Wilson, the better.

The only other lefties on Seattle's 40-man roster are Jhonathan Díaz, who's mostly worked as a starter this year, and Tayler Saucedo, who's having a rough season. He'd been hit hard at both the majors and at Triple-A Tacoma, and is now out of action with a strained left lat.

In other words, Jacques has an opening to make a name for himself on the Mariners in the final four months of the 2025 season.