Breaking: Gabe Speier Sounds Off on Mariners Bullpen’s Health and Potential
The Seattle Mariners bullpen was significantly healthier to begin spring training than it was to end the year in 2024.
Throughout 2024, many Mariners relievers were injured. That challenged the depth of the group, especially in high leverage situations. Many Seattle pitchers that spent time or ended the year on the injured list had a clean bill of health or are nearing returns to start spring training.
One of those pitchers, left-handed reliever, Gabe Speier, is eager to see what a healthy bullpen will look like.
Speier recently appeared on the Couch GM podcast and mentioned Gregory Santos and Matt Brash as two guys he’s eager to see healthy in 2025.
“It’s gonna be a fun year for Gregory Santos, I think,” Speier said. “He, like myself, was dealing with stuff last year. Health stuff. You know, man, if that guy’s healthy this year, he’s electric. He is a big human who throws very hard. He’s got some anger behind it, too. You remember that game in San Diego last year. … He’s gonna be fun to watch. And obviously Matt Brash, he’s Matt Brash. Everybody knows the name, everybody knows the famous slider he’s got. And all his other pitches are great, too. But it’s going to be an exciting year. Lots of my best friends I’ve made in the game are on this team. So, it’s a tight-knit group, and the bullpen especially. And I can only really speak for the bullpen. But it’s a tight-knit group and it’s gonna be a fun year.”
Speier was another player who dealt with injuries that affected his performance in 2024. He had a breakout in year in 2023 and posted a 3.79 ERA in 69 appearances. His ERA ballooned to 5.70 in just 29 outings in 2024.
The trio of pitchers and the new additions to the roster highlight the depth the team actually has when everyone is healthy. And it will be interesting to see how good the bullpen can be when everyone is available.
