Matt Brash, Troy Taylor are nearly ready to super-charge Mariners bullpen

On a peripheral level, the Seattle Mariners bullpen has done just fine so far in 2025, as evidenced by a 3.05 ERA which is fifth-lowest in the Majors as of Monday morning. The relievers have also combined to pitch 65.0 innings, which is second-most in all of baseball.

It's only when you delve deeper that you wonder if it's almost a case of smoke and mirrors, causing one to ask how long the bullpen can minimize scoring as well as they have. They have allowed the eighth-highest opposing team batting average at .253, while their 1.34 WHIP is tied for 11th-highest in the Majors.

On top of this the Mariners bullpen has the third-lowest strikeout rate per nine innings, and the reality is that no one really inspires much confidence past Andrés Muñoz. Fortunately for the team, though, quality help is on the way and soon, in the shape of Matt Brash and Troy Taylor.

Matt Brash brings a dangerous slider to the Mariners

Beginning with Brash, he has not pitched for the Mariners in regular season play since the conclusion of the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. He was sorely missed in Seattle last year, after leading all Major League relievers in 2023 with 78 appearances combined with his slider being arguably the best pitch on the staff.

Brash saw his first action back on the mound for 2025 in the Mariners' final spring training game, throwing 12 pitches against the San Diego Padres. Now fans have even more cause for excitement, after the righty appeared in his first rehab game on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how — if at all — this impacts the timeline for Brash's return to the Mariners. As we recently covered, the 26-year-old is currently projected to be back in the Majors by late-April.

Turning to Taylor, he was always projected to be back before Brash and this has now come to pass, with the Mariners announcing on Monday that he had been reinstated from the 15-day Injured List. This followed pitching in his fifth rehab game on Sunday, as part of his recovery process from the right lat strain he suffered during offseason workouts.

Taylor was selected by the Mariners in the 12th round of the 2022 draft and made his Major League debut last season, going on to produce a 3.72 ERA, 1.138 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 19.1 combined innings. Along with Brash, he should help supercharge the bullpen and in the process take some of the pressure off the shoulders of Muñoz.

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