Reliever who was a Mariner for a hot minute is now the Dodgers' secret weapon

The Mariners bullpen is performing wonders right now, ranking second in the majors with a 3.08 ERA despite the absence of Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and Carlos Vargas. However, there's an underlying sense they're only just hanging on without the injured trio. When you delve deeper, they have some genuine concerns such as only ranking 18th in WHIP and tied-25th in batting average. If only they still had Will Klein.

What's that, you say? Do we really mean the same Will Klein who recorded a 7.17 ERA and 1.969 WHIP last season in 22 relief appearances in Triple-A Tacoma, before eventually being traded to the Dodgers in exchange for Joe Jacques? Well yes, we do mean him.

In yet another example of the M's fanbase being exposed to the twilight zone, Klein has been a revelation during his time in Los Angeles. Sure his performances in Triple-A Oklahoma City following the trade were similarly nothing to write home about, but whenever he pitched for the Dodgers it was a different story entirely. He produced a 2.35 ERA in 14 relief appearances, but even this couldn't prepare anyone for what he did in the 2025 postseason.

After not being used in the first three rounds of the postseason, Klein was added to the active roster for the World Series. His shining moment came in Game 3 versus the Blue Jays, as he stepped up for a depleted bullpen by pitching the final four innings of an 18-inning epic. He struck out five, walked two and only allowed one hit with no runs, ultimately earning the W thanks to the Dodgers' walk-off victory in the bottom of the 18th.

Easy to criticize the Mariners with the benefit of hindsight, but you can't hold the trade against them

This is one of those situations where it's okay just to be happy for someone, especially someone who never actually pitched for the Mariners in the majors. At the same time, it's fair if the organization and the fanbase decide to have some level of regret, with Klein continuing to be the Dodgers' secret weapon in 2026.

Klein has been used sparingly by the Dodgers so far this season with only 13 appearances, and yet he's proven to be effective when called upon. In all he's pitched 18.1 innings for a 2.45 ERA, and he's tied-23rd among Major League relievers with a 0.5 fWAR. For what it's worth, this would be second-best on the Mariners roster, behind just Jose A. Ferrer at 0.7.

You do have to wonder how much of Klein's success should be considered a blip, versus just finally being given the opportunity to pitch more in the majors and build his confidence. For example, his fastball velocity has ranked in the top decile in all three of his Major League seasons and seems more sustainable compared to his elite 2.0 percent barrel rate so far in 2026. Of course statistics can be manipulated to support any argument, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in the coming months.

In any event, you can't blame the Mariners for getting rid of Klein. It's always easy to criticize someone with the benefit of hindsight. Although just to make it worse, Jacques did little during his short spell in Tacoma and now seems determined to pitch himself out of affiliated ball with a horrendous showing for the Mets in Triple-A Syracuse.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow