3 relievers who could make the Mariners' Opening Day roster

New Reliever #2 Carlos Vargas

The Mariners acquired reliever Carlos Vargas from the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the Eugenio Suarez trade. Vargas has a lively arm and can generate a ton of velocity with his cut fastball topping the upper 90s. His biggest issue is going to be learning to command the strike zone better. He had 36 SO to 32 BB in AAA Reno last year. This shows there is clearly room for improvement for Vargas if he wants to take the next step in his career.

Vargas still has plenty of time to prove himself, as he is just 24 years old and still has not had a full season in the major leagues. He does possess the ability to develop into a premier reliever should he figure out how to command his pitches. Vargas has averaged 8.8 SO per 9 IP in his four-year minor league career. Flashing swing and miss stuff which could eventually translate to the big leagues. The Mariners have done a good job of turning relievers around before and Vargas could be the next one who figures out how to pitch in Seattle.

During Spring Training, Vargas has been up and down at times. He has had three clean outings where did not give up a run in a relief appearance. While also having two less-than-stellar relief appearances where he gave up multiple hits, surrendering runs in each of those opportunities. Vargas has seven strikeouts and three walks across five innings pitched this spring. Once again showing his potential, but also demonstrating that Vargas needs to locate better to pitch at the major league level.