Mariners Exec Shares Latest Plan for Top Pitching Prospect Kade Anderson

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently discussed the team's mindset regarding left-handed pitching prospect Kade Anderson heading into the final stretch of the 2026 MLB season.

Anderson, MLB Pipeline's No. 5 overall prospect for 2026, has been one of the most dominant hurlers in the minors this season. The 22-year-old has a 1.20 ERA in 16 Double-A starts this year, racking up 119 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings. At this point, it seems pretty clear that the young southpaw doesn't have much left to prove in the minor leagues. But Dipoto told MLB.com's Daniel Kramer that if the Mariners call Anderson up to the majors this season, they don't initially plan on using him as a reliever.

"We're not going to put Kade in the bullpen," Dipoto said. "He's the best starting pitcher in the Minor Leagues." He added that it'd be "irresponsible for his future development" to use Anderson as a reliever right now.

It's only a matter of time before Kade Anderson makes his MLB debut

Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson — Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Kade Anderson (32) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

For much of this season, many baseball fans have been wondering when Anderson could be promoted to the big leagues. But, at the same time, the Mariners haven't exactly needed another starter in the majors this year. In fact, before Seattle sent veteran right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline, the team had a six-man rotation and used a "piggyback" strategy in which two starters split one game.

In June, reports suggested that Anderson and the Mariners' other top pitching prospect, right-hander Ryan Sloan, could factor into Seattle's plans for the second half of the season. Now, with Castillo out of the picture, Anderson is the "next starter up," according to Dipoto. That appears to be one reason why the Mariners don't plan to call up the southpaw as a reliever anytime soon. Once the calendar flips to September, though, that could change.

"We may get into September, if we don't need to tap the extra starter, now we can talk about more creative things," Dipoto said. "But we're not going to plan on a [reliever] runway. We're more likely to be creative in how we use him as a Major Leaguer, once he gets here."

For now, Anderson is set to continue his development in the minors. But it would be truly shocking if the young lefty doesn't make his highly anticipated MLB debut before the end of this season.

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