Seattle Mariners Still Need Help in Bullpen, And Here's How They Can Get It
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The Seattle Mariners were reportedly very aggressive in their pursuit of bullpen help on Thursday in the hours leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline.
Unfortunately, they weren't able to get anything done beyond an initial move for lefty Caleb Ferguson, and the need for bullpen help was made even more clear on Thursday night when Trent Thornton tore his Achilles' in a win against the Texas Rangers.
The Mariners recalled Jackson Kowar from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday to take his place, but for a team that has goals to win the World Series, they could stand to make a more substantial add to that group. But with the trade deadline gone, how can they make it happen?
Dan Wilson on who is going to fill in for Trent Thornton in the bullpen
— Marine Layer Podcast (@MarineLayerPod) August 1, 2025
Notes the importance of developing Jackson Kowar and adding Caleb Ferguson to help with that pic.twitter.com/zlnaSGl5nD
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney discussed on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:
The trade deadline has passed, but that doesn't mean that the opportunities for a team like the Mariners, or any other contender for that matter, to add players is gone. We've seen in recent years this trend where teams that are out of the running.... they'll just dump players and throw them out on the waiver wire in the hope that some other team will pick them up. I think that opportunity will be out there for the Mariners.
...and I'm thinking about someone like Raisel Iglesias, the once closer for the Angels, for the Braves. He wasn't traded yesterday, but I suspect that at some point the Braves might just throw him out on the waiver wire at the end of August and see if someone takes his contract.
Olney is right, we have seen teams adopt this trend where they'll dump players at the end of August. The Angels famously did this a few seasons ago, where they put out both Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Furthermore, Olney also mentioned the idea of the Mariners transitioning a starter to the bullpen once the playoffs begin.
Perhaps Emerson Hancock or Bryce Miller could fit that bill.
Seattle is now 59-52 and in sole possession of the third and final wild card spot in the American League. They'll host the Texas Rangers on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. PT.
You can listen to the full interview with Olney in the podcast player below:
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
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MAKING ROOM: The Mariners acquired Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates and moved on from a previously valuable reliever to get the deal done. CLICK HERE:
EPIC HISTORY: Randy Arozarena is doing things at the plate rarely seen by an M's player, and he's also doing things hardly ever seen by a Cuban-born player. CLICK HERE:
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