4. Mauricio Llovera, RHP
The Mariners claimed Llovera off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox back in January. Llovers spent time with the San Francisco Giants and the Red Sox in 2023, pitching 35 innings between the 2 teams. He has a career 5.80 ERA, with a 5.21 FIP. He is not a strikeout pitcher, as he has a career 8.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. He also walks batters at a 4.3 / 9 inning clip. He didn't light up the Savant page at all in 2023 either, so this is probably an easy choice.
The Mariners bullpen is loaded for 2023, so Llovera will be competing to stick around camp. Guys like Ty Buttrey, Jhonathan Diaz, Heath Hembree, and others are all competing for the last 1 or 2 spots in the bullpen. I just do not see Llovera beating out some of the names listed above unless the Mariners' pitching lab creates another Frankenstein, which is absolutely possible. Remember guys like Kendall Graveman and Paul Sewald were cast away players like Llovera, so who knows? But if he does not make the team, he should be ousted from the 40-man.
Other 40-Man roster guys on the hot seat
While I think Dylan Moore should lose his spot, I think there is a real battle for the utility bench spot. Sam Haggerty and Samad Taylor will join Dylan Moore to compete for that spot. Samad Taylor was acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals earlier this offseason. Taylor hit .301/.418/.466/.884 for the Royals AAA affiliate but struggled in his short stint in the Majors. He is cheaper than both Moore and Haggerty, so if he shows that he is ready he could knock both of those guys off of the 40-man.
Guys like Blake Hunt and Cade Marlowe could be on the hot seat as well. Hunt has yet to make his Major League debut, and should he not be ready for the Majors, he could be ousted from the 40-man. Cade Marlowe had a great debut with the Mariners last season but cooled off dramatically. Should he continue to struggle, he could find himself out of Seattle.
This is the most important Spring Training for the Mariners in some time. This is the best-looking roster the Mariners have had in some time, and expectations are high. As always, Go Mariners!