Relief pitchers have long lived in the shadows of their starting pitching brethren.
For example, the highest paid reliever in baseball (Edwin Diaz, 23m) makes practically half the AAV salary than the highest paid starter (Zack Wheeler, 42m). And Diaz is the only RP in the game that earns a salary above the $20m per year threshold. There are 32 starting pitchers that sit above that financial cut line.
Of the 86 pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, only 9 are relievers.
If a pair of pitchers went as Batman & Robin for Halloween, or went on a road trip together to Vegas, you had best believe that the relief pitcher is sitting shotgun wearing red tights.
This is the way.
And although respect for the relief pitcher has improved in the modern game, their value having increased, the proud members of the pen will likely never bridge the gap.
In Seattle, the starting rotation casts a long shadow.
Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo are entering a third season of being included in the national conversation about the best starting rotation in baseball. Seattle's Fab Five is gifted, young, close-knit and hard working.
Mariners starters have earned the love shown them. They will outdraw and out-earn their relief corps for the duration of their time together. And, let's face it, understandably so.
But this article is about the Mariners bullpen. And after years of assembling quality pens, often finding treasure in the trash heaps of opposing organizations, President Jerry Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander might have, on paper, corralled their best herd to date here in Peoria, Arizona.
Harry Ford was a price that most Mariners didn't wish to pay for a lefty relief pitcher. But this speaks to the value Seattle's front office placed on Jose A. Ferrer. Jerry and Justin had the southpaw circled as a target for acquisition years before the Nationals agreed to terms.
"Jerry bought himself a Ferrer-i," pitching coach Pete Woodworth told us on Chuck & Buck. "I wouldn't like to meet the lefty (hitter) that wants to stand in against him."
Ferrer's 100 MPH velocity suggests that he's a strikeout pitcher. But he's not. Or at least he hasn't been. Ferrer had a 72% ground ball rate last season for the Nationals. And even though his K totals were surprisingly low and his ERA surprisingly high for a man of his talents, the Mariners see something special in him. Under the direction of the award-winning Woodworth, perhaps he'll be a strikeout machine yet.
"That's my job," said Woodworth.
Ferrer joins Gabe Speier to give the M's potentially TWO dominant lefties to team with All-Star closer Andres Munoz, a Matt Brash now two years removed from Tommy John and a prime candidate to return to his 2023 dominant ways, and last season's breakout treasure piece, Eduard Bazardo.
In my 11 years in Seattle, I don't believe the Mariners have been set up better, 1-5 at the backend of their bullpen.
Take a look:
Versus Lefty Hitters in 2025:
Andres Munoz 150/265/210/475
Gabe Spaier 179/214/302/516
*Jose Ferrer 186/217/304/521
Carlos Vargas 205/248/341/589
Matt Brash 241/295/310/605
Versus Righty Hitters in 2025:
Andres Munoz 181/276/233/509
Eduard Bazardo 166/231/261/492
And then there is that undeniable but insufficiently-lauded skill of Jerry & Justin: Finding quality arms that didn't work elsewhere, but end up excelling in Seattle.
Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, Casey Sadler, Justin Topa, Gabe Speier, and on and on.
Who will emerge as this year's Sewald, this year's Speier?
The Candidates:
Flamethrowing Robinson Ortiz (acquired from the Dodgers)
Rehabbed Troy Taylor (looking for a bounceback)
Yosver Zelueta (acquired from Reds)
Josh Simpson (recently acquired from Marlins)
Alex Hoppe (might very well be one to watch)
The M's bullpen MLB ERA rankings of the last X years:
2025- 13th
2024- 2nd
2023- 3rd
2022- 8th
Not bad. Right?
There's no escaping The Shadow, but the 2026 Mariners pen just might be built to be the best M's pen yet.