It won’t be known for sure how much the Seattle Mariners offense or bullpen has improved until opening day on March 27. But early returns have been positive for the Mariners in the first week of spring training.
Several Seattle relievers that dealt with injuries in 2024 have thrown bullpens and have looked solid so far. Gregory Santos and Matt Brash have received a fair bit of attention and compliments for their sessions. Another reliever who spent some time on the shelf that has gotten praise is lefty Gabe Speier.
Speier came to the Mariners before the 2023 season after a four-year stint with the Kansas City Royals in which he had just 41 total outings. He exceeded that number in just one season in Seattle in 2023. In 69 appearances, the southpaw had a 3.79 ERA and struck out 64 batters in 54.2 innings pitched.
In 2024, Speier spent a month-and-a-half on the shelf from June 1-July 19 with a left rotator cuff strain. When he was healthy, he was unable to regain his 2023 form and was optioned and recalled from the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers two respective times. He finished 2024 with a 5.70 ERA in 29 games and struck out 33 batters in 23.2 innings pitched.
Speier has been “among the most impressive (pitchers) in the young stages of camp,” according to an article written by MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.
According to the same story, Mariners manager Dan Wilson has mentioned Speier twice as a pitcher to watch in spring training.
The open spots in Seattle’s bullpen will be the second-biggest competition in the team’s big league camp behind second base. If Speier is able to pitch like he did in 2023, then it’s reasonable to assume he’ll be back with the major league club to start 2025.