Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners Fantasy Baseball Daily Bullpen Updates and Closer Depth Chart

Closer1st in line2nd in line2025 CloserUpdated
SEAAndrés MuñozRyne StanekGabe SpeierAndrés Muñoz3/12/24
(IL)Gregory SantosMatt Brash

Previous updates:

March 16, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Multiple updates about the Mariners bullpen were posted on “X”. First, Ryan Divish shared Ryne Stanek will appear in a Cactus League game in the coming days. He also reported Matt Brash will long toss at max effort then progress to a mound in the next few days if there’s no lingering soreness. Last, but not least, Gregory Santos is rehabbing and resting, but not throwing. No timetable for his return until he commences a throwing program. 

March 12, 2024

Seattle Mariners – In the never ending injury saga for the this leverage ladder, Gregory Santos felt a pinch” in his lat, and will be shut down for a few days, which will keep him sidelined on Opening Day. Daniel Kramer and Ryan Divish broke the news on “X”. 

In a separate column by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com about how Seattle’s bullpen will take shape after Santos’ injury, he speculated Andrés Muñoz will work almost exclusively in the save situations. Because of this, Ryne Stanek will open the season as the primary set-up reliever. However, two relievers may be selected from the “Steckenrider” bucket. 

March 10, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Good news on two relievers working their way into game shape. Matt Brash will play catch out to 90 feet and Gregory Santos will throw a bullpen session on Monday, reported on “X” by Ryan Divish. 

March 8, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Intriguing tidbits of information surfaced in the Ryan Divish column about relievers emerging from “the bucket” for The Seattle Times. First, he provides notes about the team not rushing the returns of Matt Brash or Gregory Santos. Before Brash’s setback, there were two spots open on the roster for the season in the leverage ladder, but if Santos cannot be ready for Opening Day either, there’s three. It’s apparent Andrés Muñoz will be the “closer” early on, but the leverage relievers getting him opportunities may be pieced together from a group which includes Jackson Kowar, Ty Buttrey, and Carlos Vargas. Perhaps a reaction to this current bullpen structure, Mark Feinsand reports the Mariners have agreed on a deal with Ryne Stanek. If Brash and Santos are not ready for Opening Day, he will jump into the hierarchy in a set-up capacity. 

March 5, 2024

Seattle MarinersMatt Brash played catch at 60 feet and made 25 throws from with no issues, reported by Ryan Divish on “X”. He also reported Gregory Santos did long toss and may throw off the mound in a few days. Stay tuned. 

March 4, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Some much needed good news from Mariners camp, according to Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports, Matt Brash will resume his throwing regimen. It’s with cautious optimism, but here’s hoping he can progress without any setbacks and meet the mid-April target for a return, this leverage ladder desperately needs him. 

March 3, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Taking a first run at a roster projection, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com posted some names off of fantasy radars. He also suggested Matt Brash could return by mid-April if his throwing program goes well. 

March 1, 2024

Seattle Mariners – For now, it’s good news for Matt Brash. In today’s post for The Seattle Times by Ryan Divish, he noted there was nothing in the reliever’s MRI different from past scans, and he will resume throwing soon. He’s likely out for Opening Day. Also within the column, Gregory Santos has been throwing from 90-to-120 feet, but the team will not rush his return. 

February 28, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Less than optimal news regarding Matt Brash. In the latest roster projection for The Seattle Times, Ryan Divish did not include the talented reliever, intimating elbow issues caused his shut down from throwing, and more foreboding news he could miss an extended period of time or the season. This would place higher leverage roles on Gregory Santos and Gabe Speier, for those in leagues with holds or SOLDS. In deep leagues, Carlos Vargas could emerge as a factor in set-up situations if he can harness his command. 

February 26, 2024

Seattle Mariners – Updates on MLB.com’s injury news and roster moves regarding Matt Brash and Gregory Santos. Seattle hopes both relievers will resume throwing this week, but there’s no timeline about either being ready for Opening Day. Stay tuned. 

February 23, 2024

Seattle MarinersMatt Brash has been temporarily shut down and will not throw this weekend. Gregory Santos has not started his throwing regimen, putting him on the same timetable as myself. 

September 21, 2023
Seattle Mariners — Protecting a three-run lead against the heart of the Oakland lineup on Wednesday, the Mariners went with top arm Andres Muñoz, which left Justin Topa to pull down the save against lesser hitters in the ninth. Muñoz is still the main guy here, but expect him to get the occasional high-leverage eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Muñoz | Brash | Topa.

September 11, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz is dealing with some hip discomfort and might not pitch for a day or two. Look for Matt Brash to get opportunities in the mean time; we’ll send an alert if Munoz is going to miss significant time.

Hierarchy remains: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 21, 2023
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners were forced to go to their bullpen early, and with only Andres Munoz and Gabriel Speier left as high leverage arms they gave Munoz the 8th inning. This left the 9th for Speier, who converted for his first career save. This was almost certainly a matchup based decision, with Munoz facing 3 righties, and with the rest of the hierarchy having worked to bridge the gap earlier in the game, we aren’t reshuffling the hierarchy just yet. 

Hierarchy remains: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 18, 2023
Seattle Mariners – As we suspected, Andres Munoz got another night off, allowing Matt Brash to collect his second save in as many nights. Munoz should slot back in to the highest-leverage role going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 17, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Matt Brash picked up his third save of the year, with Andres Munoz getting the day off. Ring the bell for the VSW.

Hierarchy remains: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 16, 2023
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners called upon Andres Muñoz to record the final five outs on Tuesday, but after a clean eighth inning, he promptly blew a three-run lead in the ninth. When Seattle went back on top in the 10th, Tayler Saucedo needed just six pitches to earn his first MLB save. Muñoz has allowed a run in each of his last three appearances, but only one of those runs has been earned. 

Hierarchy remains: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 5, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz needed a night off, and Justin Topa took the 7th inning of a tie game, so when the Mariners took the lead in the 8th it was Matt Brash who was left for the save chance. He converted for his second save of the year. Brash has an impressive 15.43 K/9 on the season, behind only Felix Bautista and Aroldis Chapman amongst pitchers with at least 10 innings. While Munoz is still the top arm to own in Seattle, this appearances is enough to bump Brash to 1st in line. 

Updated hierarchy: Munoz | Brash | Topa.

August 1, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Paul Sewald is now gone, and Andres Munoz will look to take over as the primary saves option for Seattle. Munoz pitched in a high-leverage situation on Monday. With the Mariners up 2-1 in the eighth, the Red Sox had two runners on with two outs. Munoz was called in to face Alex Verdugo and struck him out on six pitches. He possibly would have come out to complete the save in the ninth, but after the Mariners tacked on four runs in the bottom half of the inning, Munoz was pulled in favor of a lower-leverage reliever.

Updated hierarchy: Munoz | Topa | Brash.

July 31, 2023
Seattle Mariners – The Andres Munoz era has begun in Seattle. The Mariners traded closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks and will likely hand the reins over to Munoz, who has a 2.96 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 in 24 games this season.

Updated hierarchy: Munoz | Topa | Brash.

July 27, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz got the save, with Paul Sewald getting the night off after going three straight. Vulture Save Watch +1.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Munoz | Topa.

July 23, 2023
Seattle Mariners – As predicted yesterday in the Vulture Save Watch, Paul Sewald got the day off but the Mariners used Andres Muñoz in the 8th inning to the face the 2-3-4 hitters for the Blue Jays.  That left Justin Topa for the 9th inning and although he made things interesting by allowing a run, he was able to strand the tying run on 2nd base to pick up his 2nd save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Topa.

June 28, 2023

Seattle Mariners – In a bit of a surprising move, closer Paul Sewald faced the 5-6-7 hitters in the eighth inning, allowing a game-tying solo shot, while Andres Muñoz maintained his 0.00 ERA with a scoreless ninth inning. While Sewald has had a good hold on the closer’s role (this was just his fifth appearance prior to the ninth inning this season, and one of those was his first work in six days), Muñoz has been terrific since his return from the IL and maybe the Mariners are looking to give him more opportunities to close games. We’ll continue to monitor.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Topa.

June 7, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Muñoz returned from the IL on Tuesday in a big way, striking out two in a 1-2-3 eighth inning to preserve a 4-1 lead. Manager Scott Servais said he doesn’t plan to use Muñoz on back-to-back days for a while, but it’s a good sign that Muñoz immediately got the ball in a high-leverage spot and was successful.

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Muñoz | Topa.

June 2, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz is beginning to work his way back for the Mariners, with a return date coming as early as next week. He’ll likely slip into a setup role behind Paul Sewald when he returns.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Topa | Brash.

May 19, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz has resumed a throwing program as he works his way back from shoulder inflammation. If all goes well in his rehab, he could be back relatively soon, though Seattle will certainly take it slow with the talented right-hander.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Topa | Brash.

May 8, 2023
Seattle Mariners – With Paul Sewald seeing a good bit of action lately, the Mariners gave the ball to Justin Topa in the 9th inning with a 2-run lead. Topa converted and is cementing himself as the best alternative on nights when Sewald is unavailable.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Topa | Brash.

May 1, 2023
Seattle Mariners – After Paul Sewald kept the game tied with a scoreless 9th inning, Matt Brash earned his first save of the season in the bottom of the 10th after Seattle took the lead. Seattle continues to use a number of arms in mixing-and-matching its way through the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Topa | Brash.

April 26, 2023
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners used Gabe Speier in the seventh and Justin Topa in the eighth to get the ball to closer Paul Sewald for the save. Both Speier and Topa have yet to allow a run this season, while Matt Brash has been up and down this season and pitched the sixth on Tuesday. Brash did face the heart of the Phillies’ lineup in the sixth, but it’s hard to ignore a pair of 0.00 ERAs.

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Topa | Speier.

April 15, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Paul Sewald secured his 3rd save of the season in a clean 9th inning with a pair of strikeouts. This is enough to kick the asterisk, at least until Anthony Munoz returns from the IL. This comes with another shakeup in the hierarchy as Justin Topa secured his first hold on the year, and has now pitched in the 7th or 8th inning of the Mariners last 2 wins. 

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Brash | Topa.

April 10, 2023
Seattle Mariners – Andres Munoz was placed on the IL with a right deltoid strain. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be serious, but this means that Paul Sewald will likely get the majority of save opportunities for the next couple weeks.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Brash | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 9, 2023
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald got the call in the 9th inning last night with the Mariners protecting a one run lead.  He allowed a couple of base runners but was able to pitch a scoreless inning for his second save of the season.  After Anthony Muñoz picked up the Mariners’ first save of the season on opening day, Sewald has now received the last two save chances and converted both.  This is likely still a committee and Muñoz will see some save chances, but Sewald ended up with the most saves for the Mariners last season and it is trending that way again early on this season.

Hierarchy Remains: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 8, 2023
Seattle Mariners — The rumours of Paul Sewald’s demise were greatly exaggerated. In the most traditional save situation the Mariners have seen all year they used Anthony Munoz for the 8th inning of a 2 run game and gave the ball to Paul Sewald for the 9th. Both pitched clean innings to pick up their first hold and save on the year respectively. Munoz continues to impress and will likely have a shot at taking over the closers spot at some point this year, but that won’t be today. 

Hierarchy Remains: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 5, 2023
Seattle Mariners — With an 11 run lead, the Mariners gave the ball to Paul Sewald in the 8th inning. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk, stranding a couple runners in the process. We shouldn’t overreact to a low leverage situation, but the fact that this was such a low leverage spot isn’t a great look for the leader of a committee. Sewald had just thrown 19 pitches on Sunday, so presumably this wasn’t just getting his work in. Andres Muñoz may have jumped to the top of this committee, but we’ll wait to see the next save chance to be sure. 

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

March 31, 2023
Seattle Mariners — It appears we have a committee in Seattle. The Mariners trotted out Matt Brash for the seventh inning, Paul Sewald for the eighth and Andres Munoz for the ninth on Thursday. Munoz allowed a couple of baserunners but escaped the jam to register the save. We’ll leave Sewald atop the hierarchy for now, but if Munoz sees another save or two, it will be a different story. 

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

March 13, 2023
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald and Andres Muñoz were excellent last season and should continue as options 1 and 1-A in the Seattle bullpen. Erik Swanson’s departure leaves the door open for Diego Castillo in the seventh.

Starting 2023 hierarchy: Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
Holds candidates: Munoz, Castillo, Matt Brash.

October 5, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Diego Castillo collected the save in game two of Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Tigers after Andres Muñoz and Erik Swanson appeared in game one. Paul Sewald hasn’t pitched in a few days, but it’s likely he gets at least a little work today as the Mariners prepare for the postseason.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

October 1, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Matt Brash will go down as the reliever who earned the win that finally sent the Mariners back to the playoffs. He was the only reliever they used, and pitched a clean top of the 9th inning of a tie game with the entire Mariners hierarchy needing a rest. In a scene that every kid has played out in their back yard, Cal Raleigh came on as a pinch hitter, and crushed a 3-2 pitch to right field to clinch the Mariners first playoff berth since 2001. The Mariners still have something top play for down the stretch, as they could catch the Blue Jays for the higher seed of the wild card round. This would give them the home field for that series, something the Seattle fans have waited a long time for, so we expect them to use their best relievers going forward. 

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

September 30, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Seattle is on the verge of its first postseason berth since their magical 116-win season in 2001, and seven relievers helped get them closer to clinching Thursday in an 11-inning affair. Paul Sewald came on in the seventh with a three-run lead to face the 9-1-2 hitters (two of which are lefties) and allowed two solo home runs for an ugly hold. Andres Muñoz worked through the next four outs, allowing a tying run to take the blown save. Eventually, former starter Chris Flexen came on in the top of the eleventh and allowed a ghost runner in, but he was credited with the win when Seattle scored two runs in the bottom half. While Sewald (20 saves) is the team’s closer, he will be used earlier in games if the situation calls for it, lowering his saves total potential. Still, though, he’s the top option to use in fantasy as the season winds down. 

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

September 25, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning with the game tied and picked up the win.  That left Andres Muñoz for the 9th inning and he pitched a scoreless inning for his fourth save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

September 5, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Is Chris Flexan challenging for a hierarchy spot?! He now has more saves in the past week than Paul Sewald and has yet to blow a save chance this year. A closer look shows that his first was a 4 inning save in a blowout game and last night he was the 10th pitcher out of the bullpen for the Mariners who took the lead in the 11th inning on a rain soaked night in Cleveland. Flexan has made the most of his chances this year, but he is still primarily a long reliever.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

September 1, 2022
Seattle Mariners — It looks like Paul Sewald could be back to a more conventional closer role in Seattle, so we’ll delete his asterisk going into September. Last night’s eighth-inning hold was earned by Erik Swanson (0.84 ERA, 33.1 K%), who has joined Andres Muñoz (2.89 ERA, 41 K%) in a dominant setup duo.

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Muñoz | Swanson.

August 31, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Chris Flexen picked up his first MLB save on Tuesday after he pitched the final four innings in a 9-3 win over Detroit.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 26, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald got the night off Thursday after going in two straight, leaving the door open for Andres Munoz to pitch a clean ninth for his third save. Diego Castillo pitched Wednesday, but his workload lately has been light, so he was presumably available. Munoz, though, has been excellent this season – he has 17 appearances with at least 3 strikeouts, tying a team record — and could be the preferred setup man in Seattle.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 11, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Diego Castillo returned from the injured list for Wednesday’s game and was immediately used in the eighth inning with a one-run lead. Castillo retired the Yankees in order with one strikeout and should immediately reassume his high-leverage role.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

August 8, 2022
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners have danced back and forth with Paul Sewald this season, sometimes using him as their full-time closer and sometimes as a fireman. Last night, it was the former, and Sewald turned in yet another perfect inning, lowering his WHIP to 0.67 on the season — third among relievers with at least 30 innings pitched [behind only Jason Adam (0.62) and Ryan Helsley (0.64)]. He’s clearly the go-to arm in this bullpen, but the Mariners are maintaining flexibility with his usage, so we’re leaving the committee asterisk on for the time being.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Munoz | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 7, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners brought on Andres Munoz to face Shohei Ohtani with two outs in the 7th inning.  Munoz struck out Ohtani and then came back out for a scoreless 8th inning.  That left the save chance to Erik Swanson and he converted for his third save of the season.  It was also Swanson’s sixth career save, which ties him for the most career saves by a player born in North Dakota.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Munoz | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 3, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners deployed Paul Sewald in the seventh inning to face the top of the Yankees’ order and protect a 7-6 lead. Sewald was perfect with two strikeouts, which paved the way for Andres Munoz to pitch the ninth. After he struck out the first two hitters he faced, the Yankees were able to load the bases, but Munoz battled back with a strikeout to end the game and earn the save.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Munoz | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2022
Seattle Mariners — After a couple of 8th inning appearances, Paul Sewald was back in the 9th inning yesterday and he pitched a scoreless inning for his 13th save of the season. Sewald was settling into the closer’s role before the change in usage over the past week but fantasy owners will hope yesterday’s save is a sign of things to come.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Swanson | Festa.
* = closer-by-committee

July 29, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Diego Castillo was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The issue isn’t considered to be too serious and it should require just the minimum stay on the IL.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Swanson | Festa.
* = closer-by-committee

July 28, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Seattle decided to give their big guns a rest on Wednesday, leaving the save for Matthew Festa for the second time this month. Festa still appears to be outside the hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Castillo | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2022
Seattle Mariners – For the second straight night, Paul Sewald got the eighth inning, this time facing the Rangers’ 9-1-2 hitters with a 3-1 lead. Texas scored twice to tie the game, which left Erik Swanson to pitch the ninth with the score tied. Based on this usage, we’ll return the asterisk to Seattle’s hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Castillo | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

July 26, 2022
Seattle Mariners – Closer Paul Sewald was used in the 8th inning to face the Rangers’ 2-3-4 hitters, and after Diego Castillo made things interesting in the 9th, Erik Swanson was summoned to get out of the jam. Swanson got the game’s final two outs on just three pitches, earning his second save while lowering his ERA to 0.98 for the season.

Updated hierarchy: Sewald | Castillo | Swanson.

July 17, 2022
Seattle Mariners — That Mariners were looking for their 13th win in a row yesterday and after taking the lead in the top of the 10th, Matt Festa was tasked with protecting it.  Festa struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th inning to pick up his first career save.  Paul Sewald, Diego Castillo, and Andres Munoz all pitched scoreless innings earlier in the game.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.

July 15, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Score yet another one for the Vulture Save Watch. On Thursday, Diego Castillo secured his sixth save. Paul Sewald pitched twice on Wednesday.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.

July 14, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Two Mariners wins on Wednesday and two Paul Sewald saves. The veteran has continued the revitalization of his career in Seattle and is the uncontested king of the bullpen at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.

July 10, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald got the day off after throwing 30 pitches on Friday night, but the Mariners sent Diego Castillo to the mound for the third straight day.  Castillo loaded the bases with two outs but was able to preserve the Mariners win and earn his fifth save of the season.  Paul Sewald had recorded the Mariners last three saves and is very close to kicking the asterisk even after Castillo’s save yesterday.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

June 26, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald and Andres Muñoz both got the day off after pitching in the prior two games.  Diego Castillo came on in the 8th when the Angels brought the tying run to the plate and pitched a scoreless inning.  That left Erik Swanson for the 9th.  Swanson worked around a pair of walks to pitch a scoreless inning and pick up his first save of the season.  Swanson has an ERA and WHIP both under 1.00 on the season and he could work his way onto the hierarchy if he can keep that up.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

June 22, 2022
Seattle Mariners — For the first time since Sept. 15, 2020, Ken Giles pitched in an MLB game. Giles, who missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery and all of this season thanks to a tendon strain in his middle finger, tossed a perfect ninth inning on Tuesday in an 8-2 win. Scott Servais doesn’t plan to immediately use Giles in high-leverage situations, so we’ll keep Giles off this hierarchy for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

June 9, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners have to be thrilled to see Diego Castillo returning to top form after a few brutal outings in early May. Castillo has put up 14 strikeouts and only two baserunners over his last six appearances. Tuesday’s outing saw his second straight save, and we think he’s achieved co-closer status with Paul Sewald at this point.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Castillo | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

June 7, 2022
Seattle Mariners – Paul Sewald has been steadily cementing himself atop the Mariners hierarchy, but he got Monday off, having thrown 59 pitches over the preceding four days. Andres Munoz was also off, having pitched in back to back games and three of four, which meant a medley of less-heralded arms combined to bridge the gap between Robbie Ray and Diego Castillo, who locked down his third save of the season and is now on a run of 7 consecutive scoreless innings. One other reliever to watch here is rookie Penn Murfee, who logged 1.2 of those gap innings; Murfee’s three-quarters delivery has baffled hitters all season (19.1 IP, 0.93 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 22 Ks), and he could see more high-leverage work going forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

May 27, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Drew Steckenrider and his 5.65 ERA were sent to Triple-A on Thursday. He was quite effective last year (2.00 ERA over 67.2 IP with 14 saves), but things have not gone right so far in 2022. He could re-emerge in this messy hierarchy later in the season, of course. Diego Castillo (7.80 ERA) has been worse, but he enters the hierarchy with two saves and a hold to his credit. 

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Muñoz | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

May 19, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners are still running a full-on closer committee. Last night, Andres Muñoz got the seventh, Paul Sewald the eighth, and Diego Castillo the ninth — although an extra Seattle run meant that it was no longer a save situation. Muñoz hasn’t seen an eighth or ninth all month, so we’re going to edge Sewald ahead of him for now. Castillo will continue to be a factor as well, along with Drew Steckenrider, who will be available again for today’s game against Boston.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Muñoz | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

May 17, 2022
Seattle Mariners – It’s hard to guess who will get a Mariners save on any given night, but for the next couple of days, we know that it WON’T be Drew Steckenrider, whose unvaccinated status means he won’t be pitching the Toronto series. We’ll leave the hierarchy as is since this is just for a couple days, but feel free to swap him out of your lineup for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Munoz | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

May 16, 2022
Seattle Mariners – After Paul Sewald pitched a clean 8th inning, Drew Steckenrider got in trouble in the 9th, allowing four runners to reach before Diego Castillo came on. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Castillo got two strikeouts to preserve the one-run victory. Despite the impressive outing, Castillo (8.74 ERA) will have to do a little more to show he’s back on track to crack the Seattle hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: *Munoz | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

May 14, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Seattle is quickly becoming the AL west version of the Tampa Bay Rays, with Paul Sewald throwing 1.1 scoreless innings to earn a win and Drew Steckenrider shutting the door for his first save since opening day. This gives him the team lead in saves with 2, just ahead of the other members of the hierarchy. To make things even more interesting, opener/closer Sergio Romo was activated from the IL last night as well, adding one more name to a crowded field for save chances. Steckenrider jumps into the hierarchy based on the most recent save as Seattle starts eying the chaotic bullpen crown… 

Updated hierarchy: *Muñoz | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

May 11, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald got the last out of the eighth, and despite allowing a run in the ninth, closed out a 5-4 win for his first save of the season. Andres Muñoz was called on to get the last out of the sixth to protect a one-run lead. We’ll move Sewald up a spot in the hierarchy after Tuesday’s performance, but this is truly a committee, as he was the fourth different Mariner to collect one of the team’s four saves this season.

Updated hierarchy: *Muñoz | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

May 6, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners already have a situation in which any of Andres Muñoz, Diego Castillo, Paul Sewald or Drew Steckenrider could earn a save on a given night, but the situation could get even muddier later this summer. Ken Giles is due to eventually return as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, top prospect Matt Brash, who began the season as the team’s fifth starter, was optioned to Triple-A, where he will work exclusively as a reliever in hopes of helping the big club later this season in that capacity. He has the stuff to dominate in the late innings, so this is an interesting development. 

Hierarchy remains: *Muñoz | Castillo | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

April 28, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald has returned from his stint on the COVID IL, which had him haunting a Little League mound to keep his arm loose. Scott Servais said that Sewald will immediately regain his high-leverage role, which puts him in the heart of the closer committee conversation with Andres Muñoz, Diego Castillo, and Drew Steckenrider.

Updated hierarchy: *Muñoz | Castillo | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

April 23, 2022
Seattle Mariners — With a 3 run lead going into the late innings the Mariners turned to Anthony Misiewicz for the 8th inning and Andres Muñoz for the 9th. Drew Steckenrider had thrown 26 pitches on Thursday, so a rest made sense for him, but Diego Castillo hadn’t pitched since giving up 2 runs on Wednesday. Muñoz joins Steckenrider and Castillo as the only players with saves, and he has the talent to be a closer for a long time in the major leagues. This is still a committee, so don’t be surprised if Castillo is out there today, but Muñoz is the best arm in the bullpen, and could run away with the job soon. 

Updated hierarchy: *Muñoz | Steckenrider | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 21, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald, who has retired all 11 batters he’s faced thus far in 2022, has been placed on the COVID IL. Fireballer Andres Muñoz will join a committee situation that didn’t get any clearer last night with Diego Castillo’s ninth-inning struggles.

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Steckenrider | Muñoz.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Drew Steckenrider was the first man out of the bullpen on Tuesday, protecting a two-run lead in the seventh. The Mariners added two more runs in the bottom of the frame to rob Paul Sewald of a hold and Diego Castillo of a save chance. Castillo has now pitched the ninth in each of his last two appearances, both of which were lopsided wins. We’ll adjust the hierarchy based on last night’s usage and see if anyone truly separates themselves in this three-man committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

April 15, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Committee leader Drew Steckenrider entered Thursday’s game to start the seventh inning against the 6-7-8 hitters in the White Sox lineup, which really isn’t the meat of any batting order. But it was a two-run game so perhaps he’s more trusted in tighter spots? Anyway, Diego Castillo tossed a scoreless eighth on just 6 pitches and Paul Sewald recorded a scoreless ninth inning with a four-run lead, so no save was to be had. This has to be one of the majors’ most puzzling bullpens. We’ll keep an eye on things, but there is no action to be taken yet.

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 10, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Drew Steckenrider picked up the save on opening day with Paul Sewald getting the 8th inning ahead of him.  Both relievers then got Saturday off and the third member of the Mariners’ committee, Diego Castillo, struck out a pair in a perfect 9th for his first save of the season.  The Mariners have a very strong bullpen and they showed last year that they are not afraid to use multiple guys to close out games.

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 6, 2022
Seattle Mariners — Ken Giles will miss the start of the season due to a tendon issue in his finger.  Giles wasn’t on our hierarchy to start the season but he was a popular sleeper if he could work his way back to pitching like he did a couple of years ago.  This setback will hurt those chances but if you are still looking for a sleeper who is not on the Mariners’ hierarchy currently, Andres Munoz is throwing 101 MPH fastballs and that is always interesting from a reliever. 

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

March 21, 2022
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners bullpen was a strength last season and they will bring back most of the key members. Drew Steckenrider and Paul Sewald ended last season splitting save chances and we expect them to start the same way in 2022. Former Rays’ closer Diego Castillo should also factor into the late innings and keep an eye on Ken Giles as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Starting 2022 hierarchy: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Castillo, Giles.

October 3, 2021
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners kept their playoff hopes alive yesterday with an 8th inning rally and Drew Steckenrider closed it out for his 14th save of the season.  Steckenrider and Paul Sewald both ended up with double digit saves for the Mariners this year, and will hope for one more opportunity on the last day of the regular season, and maybe another one on Monday.

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 25, 2021
Seattle Mariners – With the Mariners clinging to a one-run lead, Paul Sewald loaded the bases with only one out.  Luckily for Mariners’ fans and fantasy players with Sewald in their lineups, he was able to work out of the jam and pick up his 11th save of the season.  Drew Steckenrider pitched the 8th inning ahead of Sewald.  The Mariners are desperately battling for the second wild card spot and they will likely continue to use both Steckenrider and Sewald to close out games for the rest of the season.  

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 24, 2021
Seattle Mariners – You read the Vulture Save Watch every day, so you knew Paul Sewald would allow a solo homer but retire the other three hitters he faced to earn his 10th save of the year.

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 22, 2021
Seattle Mariners – A day after Paul Sewald earned a five-out save, Drew Steckenrider rebounded from two straight tough outings to close out Tuesday’s win.

Hierarchy remains: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 14, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Drew Steckenrider picked up his 9th save on Monday, surpassing Paul Sewald’s total on the season. Steck has gotten four of the last six Seattle saves (Sewald and Diego Castillo have gotten one each), and while the others are likely still in the mix, we’re going to swap their positions in this committee for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Steckenrider | Sewald | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 11, 2021
Seattle Mariners –  The surging Mariners gave a clear one run save opportunity to Drew Steckenrider and he responded by striking out the side to earn his 8th save of the year.  Steckenrider has been outstanding recently, riding a 16 game scoreless streak that dates back to August 4th. Paul Sewald has blown a couple save chances in the last week, but his last appearance was nearly a save opportunity, closing out a four run game.  This will likely continue to be a committee, and we will leave Sewald at the top for now, but Steckenrider is the hotter pitcher and could be a good pickup for the final couple weeks.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 5, 2021
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners activated Diego Castillo from the IL and immediately threw him into a save situation.  With Paul Sewald and Drew Steckenrider unavailable, the Mariners sent Castillo out for the 9th inning to protect a 3 run lead, and he was able to get the job done and record the save.  We will slide Castillo back onto the hierarchy and see if he becomes a more prominent member of this committee down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

September 4, 2021
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners used their top arms earlier in a tie game, so when they took the lead in the 10th the save chance fell to Yohan Ramirez. Ramirez converted for his second save of the year, the last one also coming in extra innings on August 22. Romirez is having a solid season and may be working towards a more prominent role in the bullpen, but we think he is still just off the hierarchy for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

August 30, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Similarly, in Seattle, the Mariners went with Paul Sewald in the 8th and Drew Steckenrider in the 9th. They, too, continue to share save chances.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

August 25, 2021
Seattle Mariners – With the Mariners holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Drew Steckenrider entered to face the go-ahead run and induced a flyout to end the frame. When the Mariners added two runs in the top of the eighth, Steckenrider stayed on for the final two innings to earn the save.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

August 23, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Yohan Ramirez picked up his first save, getting the last two outs of the 11th inning after most of the team’s other key relievers had pitched.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

August 22, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Diego Castillo was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflamation.  Casey Sadler, who is currently away from the team on paternity leave, should see more time in the later innings while Castillo is out.

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

August 20, 2021
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners held a five-run lead in the ninth on Thursday, but that quickly vanished. Anthony Misiewicz started the ninth by allowing three straight hits. Diego Castillo was no better, walking in a run before allowing a game-tying, three-run shot. He managed to retire the final batter of the inning but the damage was done. After Seattle took the lead in the top half of the 11th, Paul Sewald was called in to preserve the lead and he allowed an unearned run but converted his sixth save. Seattle’s situation in the ninth is as murky as any team outside of Tampa, but the team is 10 games above .500 and continues to play in close games, so it seems save chances will be plentiful moving forward. We think Sewald is the one to own, even if some of the opportunities go to his teammates. 

Hierarchy remains: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 19, 2021
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners went with Drew Steckenrider in the ninth on Wednesday, clarifying that although Diego Castillo is a mainstay in the eighth inning, he’s the third option for save chances in this committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald is back from paternity leave and he’s back in the ninth inning for Seattle. He earned his fifth save of the season on Tuesday against the heart of the Rangers’ order. Diego Castillo worked the eighth, which has been the case quite a bit lately, even with Sewald on leave. We’ll slide Sewald to the top of the hierarchy and see if he continues to consistently get save chances.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Castillo | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

August 13, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Congratulations to Paul Sewald, who was placed on the paternity list Thursday and will be out for a few days.

Hierarchy remains: *Castillo | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

August 9, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Drew Steckenrider returned to action after a long stretch without much action, earning a 2-inning save against the Yankees. That’s all we needed to see to get him back on the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

August 4, 2021
Seattle Mariners
— Diego Castillo earned his first save since joining the Mariners, doing so in Tampa against his former team. Paul Sewald pitched the eighth while Casey Sadler earned his second straight seventh-inning hold. This is noteworthy, as Drew Steckenrider has pitched once (July 30) since earning a save on July 25. 

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Sewald | Sadler.
* = closer-by-committee

July 30, 2021
Seattle Mariners
— Days after trading closer Kendall Graveman to the Astros, the Mariners acquired Diego Castillo and will presumably plug him into the ninth-inning role right away. GM Jerry Dipoto said as much, though he acknowledged others could also factor in based on matchups. Paul Sewald, who has been amazing this year, is the likeliest to scoop up save opportunities that don’t go to Castillo.

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

July 29, 2021
Seattle Mariners
—  As promised by GM Jerry Dipoto, the other shoe has dropped. The Mariners have acquired Diego Castillo from the Rays, just days after dealing away closer Kendall Graveman. We think Castillo will move to the lead role in the ninth inning, but we’re not ready to say he wins the job outright over Paul Sewald, who has been awesome (2.30 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 54 Ks in 31.1 IP) so far in 2021.

Updated hierarchy: *Castillo | Sewald | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

July 28, 2021
Seattle Mariners
– The Mariners traded Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero to the Astros, which is great news for anyone who has Paul Sewald on their team. Scott Servais didn’t name a closer yesterday, but Sewald should be in the lead for saves in Seattle, with Drew Steckenrider right behind him.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2021
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners traded Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero to the Astros. We’ll see how the Mariners deploy their bullpen now, but Paul Sewald and Drew Steckenrider are the best bets for saves.

Updated hierarchy: *Sewald | Steckenrider | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2021
Seattle Mariners – After Kendall Graveman kept the game close in the 8th, the Mariners took the lead, leaving Paul Sewald to pitch the 9th for his fourth save of the year. Graveman remains the favorite for saves on most nights.

Hierarchy remains: Graveman | Sewald | Steckenrider.

July 26, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Likewise, the Mariners gave their top two arms the day off Sunday, allowing Drew Steckenrider to pick up his third save.

Hierarchy remains: Graveman | Sewald | Steckenrider.

July 17, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman came on to protect a 4 run lead last night, but found himself in a jam, mostly due to a pair of errors behind him. After getting two outs, but giving up 3 runs (all unearned) and having the tying run on 1st, the Mariners called on Pete Sewald to try to close out the game. He gave up a single before a lineout ended the threat, enough to earn Sewald his 3rd save on the year. Sewald has a 19 game scoreless streak going, but Graveman has been the top option in Seattle and last night’s drama wasn’t really his fault. We expect the Mariners to continue to showcase Graveman until he gets sent to a contender. 

Hierarchy Remains: Graveman | Sewald | Steckenrider.

July 11, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman got the day off after pitching in two straight and that allowed Paul Sewald to pick up his second save of the season.  Drew Steckenrider struck out the side in the eighth inning ahead of Sewald and that’s enough to get him on the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Graveman | Sewald | Steckenrider.

July 2, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Paul Sewald recorded the final four outs Thursday for the surging Seattle Mariners (22-13 in their last 35 games) to earn his first save. Kendall Graveman did not pitch, and there was no indication postgame that Sewald is now “the guy.” But a look at the numbers shows just how good Sewald has been: 1.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 38 Ks in just 21.2 IP. Could Seattle continue riding the hot hand? We shall see…

Updated hierarchy: Graveman | Sewald | Misiewicz.

July 1, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Rafael Montero has been really bad in his last three outings (7 ER, 9 H, 2.1 IP), allowing Anthony Misiewicz to slide back into late-innings relevance for Seattle. Misiewicz gave up a tying home run in the eighth last night, but Kendall Graveman shut the door, getting five outs before Drew Steckenrider came on for the extra-inning save. With Montero struggling, the closer job is Graveman’s to hold.

Updated hierarchy: Graveman | Misiewicz | Steckenrider.

June 25, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Keynan Middleton was called up from Triple-A on Thursday. We’ll monitor his usage to see if he should enter this hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

June 23, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Kendall Graveman looked like his old self on Tuesday, needing just nine pitches to complete a 1-2-3 ninth and earn his sixth save of the season. 

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

June 20, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Kendall Graveman got the save opportunity yesterday but he could not get the job done as he allowed a two-out game-tying homer for the blown save.  Graveman has now given up an earned run in three of his four appearances since returning from the IL after not allowing any earned runs in his first 14 appearances.  We will see if Graveman can settle back in and take control of the Mariners’ job or if this opens up more opportunities for Rafael Montero and Drew Steckenrider.

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

June 15, 2021
Seattle Mariners – We love it when old hierarchy mainstays disappear for awhile and then randomly return elsewhere, so we were thrilled to see Drew Steckenrider on Monday night, picking up his first save since September of 2018. Kendall Graveman had gone two straight and Rafael Montero’s last outing was pretty rugged, so this probably isn’t more than a moonlighting gig for Steck, but he has been quite good this year, posting a 2.59 ERA over 24.1 innings thus far. We’ll watch to see if this turns into something more significant. At the very least, he’s increasing his trade value.

Updated hierarchy: *Graveman | Montero | Steckenrider.
* = closer-by-committee

June 13, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman saw his first action since coming back from the IL and ended up giving up his first earned run of the season.  However, the other members of the Mariners’ hierarchy had worse days as Rafael Montero gave up 3 runs in the 9th inning for his 6th blown save of the season, and Paul Sewald didn’t record any outs in extra innings while taking the loss.  Graveman should be the best bet for saves moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 12, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman was activated from the IL yesterday, although he didn’t get a chance to pitch in a blowout loss. As a part of the move, Kenyan Middleton was optioned to AAA. Graveman immediately jumps to the top of the committee to hopefully pick up right where he left off before his COVID stint.

Updated hierarchy: *Graveman | Montero | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 10, 2021
Seattle Mariners — While Seattle waits for Kendall Graveman to return, Anthony Misiewicz has been replaced in the seventh by Paul Sewald.

Updated hierarchy: *Montero | Middleton | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 9, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman struck out two yesterday during a rehab assignment. Scott Servais hopes Graveman will join the Mariners in the next week.

Hierarchy remains: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

June 4, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman is out of his COVID-19 quarantine and back in Seattle, though he will likely pitch in a couple of sim games or go on a rehab assignment before being activated. 

Hierarchy remains: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 31, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Keynan Middleton only needed five pitches to earn his fifth save of the year on Sunday. This comes a day after Rafael Montero picked up his seventh save of the year and two days after Erik Swanson picked up his first. It’s safe to say that this is as pure a committee as you can find, and all this without Kendall Graveman, who is still in quarantine for at least the next few days. 

Hierarchy remains: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 30, 2021
Seattle Mariners — It wasn’t pretty, but Rafael Montero picked up another save on Saturday despite allowing a run. The Mariners have won five of six and continue to get by without Kendall Graveman. They’ll also have to get by without Erik Swanson, who landed on the 10-day IL with a right groin strain.

Updated hierarchy: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 29, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Rafael Montero got a day off after pitching in three of four, but when Keynan Middleton ran into trouble in the eighth, the Mariners called on Erik Swanson. Swanson stuck around for the ninth for his first save. Swanson has been outstanding for the Mariners (0.82 ERA, 9.7 K/9, .098 BAA), and could start stealing save chances in the Seattle committee. 

Updated hierarchy: *Montero | Middleton | Swanson.
* = closer-by-committee

May 26, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Perhaps being cautious with Keynan Middleton after his IL stint, the Mariners went to the roller coaster ride that is Rafael Montero for the ninth inning on Tuesday after Middleton’s successful save on Monday. Montero retired the first two hitters he faced before allowing a pair of singles. He got out of the jam however, inducing a ground out to himself to close out a one-run victory. Montero’s shaky reign atop the committee continues, for now, but don’t be surprised if Middleton gets the next save chance.

Hierarchy remains: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 25, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Keynan Middleton got the 9th inning on Monday night, converting his 3rd save of the season. With Kendall Graveman out, the M’s appear to be taking a committee approach, as Rafael Montero pitched the 7th. If Middleton gets the next save, as well, we’ll move him to the top.

Updated hierarchy: *Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 24, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Kendall Graveman was placed on the COVID IL yesterday; look for Rafael Montero to get the bulk of save chances until his return.

Updated hierarchy: Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.

May 23, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Kendall Graveman was placed on the IL with no injury designation. This could mean that Graveman is another Mariner to be affected by the recent positive COVID tests to hit the club, but we’ll hopefully have more clarity on the situation soon. In the meantime, Rafael Montero should be the main source of saves in Seattle, with Keynan Middleton and the just-activated Anthony Misiewicz also pitching the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Montero | Middleton | Misiewicz.

May 22, 2021
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners made a flurry of moves after a report of a positive COVID test among their relievers, sending Anthony Misiewicz, Drew Steckenrider, Robert Duggar, and Will Vest to the IL. They brought up a few arms to fill the holes, but most notably activated Keynan Middleton from the IL after a 3-week absence with a bicep injury. Middleton got some work in immediately, pitching a clean 4th inning, and should return to the later innings soon. 

Updated hierarchy: *Graveman | Montero | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee

May 15, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Rafael Montero got the call in arguably the easiest possible save situation and converted for his 5th save of the season.  The Mariners were up 4 with 2 outs in the 9th and 2 men on when Montero came on to get the final out.  Kendall Graveman pitched 1.1 scoreless innings earlier in the game when the Mariners were protecting a 3-1 lead.  Graveman has been lights out this season and he has yet to allow a run and has only allowed 5 hits in 15.2 innings.  However, the Mariners have not used him as a traditional closer as evidenced by last night.  We will keep Graveman at the top of the hierarchy for now since he is without question their best reliever, but this is still a committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 6, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Keynan Middleton left Tuesday’s game after facing only one batter, and he hit the injured list on Wednesday with biceps trouble. Anthony Misiewicz should take over the seventh inning in front of what now appears to be a two-headed closer committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Graveman | Montero | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 3, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Facing the Angels’ 3-4-5 hitters, the Mariners turned to Kendall Graveman in the 8th, then handed the 9th back to Rafael Montero, who locked down the save. Given the lineup implications, we’re going to leave Graveman and his 0.00 ERA at the top of this committee for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Graveman | Montero | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee

April 30, 2021
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners rode the “Gravy Train” again Thursday night, using Kendall Graveman to secure the final three outs for his third save. The Vulture Save Watch did predict this outcome, but it’s looking like Graveman might be here to stick. He has not been charged with an earned run yet this season and has 12 strikeouts in 10.2 IP. Let’s make him the committee head over Rafael Montero, who had looked good lately until he struggled in an appearance Wednesday. Graveman might shake the committee label soon if he keeps pitching like this

Updated hierarchy: *Graveman | Montero | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee

April 29, 2021
Seattle Mariners — Rafael Montero entered the game with a two-run lead in the seventh and stayed on for the eighth, where he really struggled, putting four runners on base and seeing a fifth reach on an error. You could do worse than speculating on the dominant Kendall Graveman getting the next save opportunity and running with it.

Hierarchy remains: *Montero | Graveman | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee

April 16, 2021
Seattle Mariners – It sure looks like a committee is taking shape in Seattle. Kendall Graveman and Keynan Middleton each earned their second save of the year in both ends of a doubleheader on Thursday. Rafael Montero, who also has two saves this season, pitched the sixth inning to set up Graveman in game one. Manager Scott Servais said he used the pitchers in that order because of the pockets of hitters due up in each inning. Both pitchers did not pitch in the nightcap. So who is the closer? It’s complicated, but it seems Montero leads the group, for now. 

Updated hierarchy: *Montero | Graveman | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee

April 14, 2021
Seattle Mariners – If you read yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, you would have known that Kendall Graveman had a chance to pick up a save during the Mariners-Orioles doubleheader. Sure enough, Graveman closed out an extra-inning win in game one of the twin bill after Rafael Montero gave up a one-run lead in the previous frame.

Hierarchy remains: Montero | Graveman | Steckenrider.

April 13, 2021
Seattle Mariners – Anthony Misiewicz was placed on the IL on Monday for undisclosed reasons. We’ll add Drew Steckenrider, who has bounced back from a tough season debut, to the hierarchy in his place.

Updated hierarchy: Montero | Graveman | Steckenrider.

March 3, 2021
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners had the worst bullpen in baseball last year, and they responded by poaching closer Rafael Montero from their division-mates in Texas. Kendall Graveman will look to build on his impressive relief appearances last year, with Anthony Misiewicz and Keynan Middleton also middle-innings options. Ken Giles is stashed on the bench for an eventual return from Tommy John surgery. 

Starting 2021 hierarchy: Montero | Graveman | Misiewicz.
Holds candidates: Graveman, Misiewicz, Middleton.

September 8, 2020
Seattle Mariners – Yoshihisa Hirano had gone two of three but still hasn’t pitched back to back since being activated, so yesterday, Yohan Ramirez nabbed his third save of the year with a two-out effort. We don’t think this is a committee, but until Hirano proves he can go back to back, there might be ample opportunities for Ramirez and others.

Hierarchy remains: Hirano | Ramirez | Misiewicz.

September 6, 2020
Seattle Mariners – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Yoshihisa Hirano was unavailable last night, and the Mariners went with Yohan Ramirez in his absence.  Ramirez gave up a homer to the first batter he faced, but he settled down to get the next three batters in order to pick up his second save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Hirano | Ramirez | Misiewicz.

August 31, 2020
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners traded Taylor Williams to the Padres, which means Yoshihisa Hirano will slide into the vacated closer’s role, with Yohan Ramirez and Anthony Misiewicz setting up Hirano.

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Hirano | Misiewicz.

August 31, 2020
Seattle Mariners – Taylor Williams had a nice bounceback outing, pitching a scoreless 9th and earning the win when the Mariners took the lead in the 10th. Yohan Ramirez pitched the bottom of the 10th for his first save, and slots into the hierarchy in place of Dan Altavilla, who is headed to San Diego.

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Hirano | Ramirez.

August 29, 2020
Seattle Mariners — After his poor outing on Thursday, Matt Magill was placed on the IL with a shoulder strain. Dan Altavilla returns to the hierarchy after a one-day absence, with rookie lefty Anthony Misiewicz also in the mix.

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Hirano | Altavilla.

August 28, 2020
Seattle Mariners —  The late innings were rough for the Mariners in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader, as they squandered 3-1 and 7-3 leads to fall, 10-7. Matt Magill did the honors in blowing the first lead, allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Taylor Williams then pitched the seventh (remember, it’s a doubleheader) with a four-run lead and retired the first two batters before he lost control, literally. Here’s the sequence: HBP, BB, BB, two-run single, passed ball, run-scoring wild pitch, game-tying single. Dan Altavilla tried to stop the bleeding, but had no such luck, allowing a single and a walk-off home run. In the nightcap, Yoshihisa Hirano finished off an 8-3 game and has yet to allow a run since returning from the IL. We’re going to move him into the hierarchy, with the understanding that he could be closing games in a week if the others continue to flounder. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards, Jr., won’t be back anytime soon, as he was moved to the 45-day IL and is out until at least late September. 

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Magill | Hirano.

August 22, 2020
Seattle Mariners — With a clean ninth inning, Taylor Williams picked up his fifth save and second in three days. The Brewers outcast is having a storybook season, and Friday night is enough to kick his asterisk and call him the de facto guy in Seattle. Meanwhile, Yoshihisa Hirano has been activated from the IL and could be back in the hierarchy soon.

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Magill | Altavilla.

August 11, 2020
Seattle Mariners – CJ Edwards was placed on the IL and will miss a few weeks with a flexor mass strain in his forearm, giving the Mariners bullpen an even more mysterious air of uncertainty. Seems like a good time to reintroduce veteran Matt Magill to the hierarchy, as the righty hasn’t allowed a run all year and yet inexplicably still hasn’t gotten a save chance.

Updated hierarchy: *Williams | Magill | Altavilla.
* = closer-by-committee

August 10, 2020
Seattle Mariners – A shaky outing from Dan Altavilla means yet another shakeup of the Mariners hierarchy, as the righty allowed three earned runs while recording only 2 outs in the 8th inning on Sunday. Taylor Williams entered to clean up and stayed on for the 9th, logging 3 Ks in the process. On the back of that strong outing, we’ll jump Williams up to the top here — he’s now got 3 saves against 1 each for Altavilla and CJ Edwards — with the understanding that this situation remains pretty fluid.

Updated hierarchy: *Williams | Edwards | Altavilla.
* = closer-by-committee

August 6, 2020
Seattle Mariners — After Taylor Williams gave up a three-run bomb to Mike Trout, the Mariners were left with a one-run lead going into the ninth. They tapped Carl Edwards Jr., who turned in a perfect inning to snag his first save of the year. Edwards pitched in the fifth inning on Tuesday, so its not clear that he is a top option for the Mariners just yet, but it’s hard to ignore Edwards converting a clear save chance in a one-run game. We haven’t seen Dan Altavilla since Saturday, where he took the hard-luck loss in extra innings after allowing the free runner on second to score. Edwards could make for a good speculative add at this point, as nobody has run away with the job in Seattle just yet. 

Updated hierarchy: *Altavilla | Edwards Jr. | Williams.
* = closer-by-committee

August 1, 2020
Seattle Mariners — As we expected, Taylor Williams got the save chance on Friday (inasmuch as anyone ever expects a Mariners win this year). Another conversion and Williams probably seizes the top spot in the committee. 

Hierarchy remains: *Altavilla | Williams | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2020
Seattle Mariners – The ostensible Seattle committee leader, Matt Magill, took the ball for the first time this season on Sunday, as the Mariners were hoping to maintain a 1-run deficit against the Astros. Unfortunately for Magill owners, this moment came in the 5th inning. So, yeah. The M’s retook the lead later in the game, resulting in a win for Dan Altavilla, who pitched the 7th; a hold for Anthony Misiewicz, who pitched the 8th; and the first career save for righty Taylor Williams. We don’t have any idea what the plan is going forward, but in the world of bullpens, a converted save begets more opportunities, so we’ll move Williams on to the hierarchy and watch how the M’s play this going forward. One more save and he’ll move to the top. 

Updated hierarchy: *Altavilla | Williams | Misiewicz.
* = closer-by-committee

July 20, 2020
Seattle Mariners — With Yoshihisa Hirano hitting the IL, the Mariners expect to employ a closer committee that will include Matt Magill, Austin Adams, Dan Altavilla, and rookie lefty Anthony Misiewicz. 

Updated hierarchy: *Magill | Adams | Altavilla.
* = closer-by-committee

February 24, 2020
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners have a ton of young arms filling out their bullpen, but the closer role is a two-man race between last year’s top dog, Matt Magill, and free agent signee Yoshihisa Hirano, who has several years of closing experience in Japan. Magill is dealing with shoulder tenderness, which probably gives Hirano the edge. Carl Edwards, Jr. and Sam Tuivailala are also in the high-leverage mix. One impressive rookie this spring has been Yohan Ramirez.

Starting 2020 hierarchy: Hirano| Magill | Edwards.
Holds candidates: Magill, Edwards, Tuivailala, Brandon Brennan.

September 22, 2019
Seattle Mariners — For the second time in three days, the Mariners won in extra innings. That meant for the second time in three days, rookie Erik Swanson picked up a save. Of more interest to fantasy owners, Matt Magill pitched in the sixth inning with the Mariners trailing by a run. Anthony Bass pitched the ninth inning and kept the score tied, meaning he was going to get the save chance should Sam Tuivailala not blown it in the eighth. Magill, who has battled back troubles recently, is the last non-Swanson reliever to pick up a save for the Mariners, doing so on Wednesday. Today may be the last chance for a Seattle save anyway, as the Mariners close their schedule with Houston and Oakland. Good luck.

Hierarchy remains: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

September 20, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Rookie Erik Swanson worked around a walk to strike out the side in the 11th in getting his first career save. Anthony Bass had pitched earlier in the game and Matt Magill, who recently dealt with a sore back, was perhaps getting some rest during Thursday’s matinee after earning his fifth save on Wednesday night. 

Hierarchy remains: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

September 19, 2019
Seattle Mariners — As we suspected, now that Matt Magill is healthy, he’s back at the top of Seattle’s closer committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

September 13, 2019
Seattle Mariners — After a week, we finally learned that Matt Magill has been dealing with back issues. Expect him to hop back up to the top of the committee after his next appearance.

Hierarchy remains: *Bass | Tuivailala | Magill.
* = closer-by-committee

September 12, 2019
Seattle Mariners — No word on what has happened to Matt Magill. On Wednesday, Sam Tuivailala got the first crack at the save with a two-run lead, and when he ran into trouble, Anthony Bass nailed it down. We’re not sure what’s going on, but we’ll slide Bass up to the top of the committee. After two straight appearances, though, he may get Thursday off.

Updated hierarchy: *Bass | Tuivailala | Magill.
* = closer-by-committee

September 11, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Anthony Bass picked up his third save of the season on Tuesday; he’ll continue to be an option alongside Matt Magill.

Hierarchy remains: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

August 21, 2019
Seattle Mariners — A month after he was acquired from Minnesota for cash considerations, the clock finally struck midnight for Matt Magill. Emilio Pagan blew the save for the Rays in the top of the ninth, but Magill gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. It’ll probably take another bad outing before he loses his slot at the top of the Seattle committee, though.

Hierarchy remains: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

August 21, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Matt Magill earned his second save in as many chances on Tuesday night thanks to a 1-2-3 inning. Magill has now put together six straight scoreless outings (6.0 IP). Meanwhile, Anthony Bass pitched the eighth inning last night. We’ll swap Magill and Bass in the hierarchy accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: *Magill | Bass | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Matt Magill struck out the side to record his first career save.  Magill has put together five straight scoreless outings, picking up a win, hold, and save during that time.  Anthony Bass picked up the win yesterday.  The Mariners’ bullpen likely won’t yield many saves for the rest of the season but Bass and Magill look to be the most likely candidates at this point.

Updated hierarchy: *Bass | Magill | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

August 1, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Seattle eviscerated its bullpen on Wednesday, sending away Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland. If you must speculate here, Anthony Bass is the best bet, but we don’t recommend it.

Updated hierarchy: *Bass | Gearrin | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Hunter Strickland’s time at the top of Seattle’s committee lasted about 10 minutes, as he too was dealt to the Nationals. We’ll see if Anthony Bass and Cory Gearrin last a little longer than Strickland did.

Updated hierarchy: *Bass | Gearrin | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2019
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners traded Roenis Elias to the Nationals on Tuesday afternoon. Hunter Strickland, just back from the 60-day IL, should eventually take over as the team’s closer, even if he continues to be eased back into high-leverage spots.

Updated hierarchy: *Strickland | Bass | Gearrin.
* = closer-by-committee

July 29, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Hunter Strickland was activated from the IL on Sunday, ending his four-month absence with a scoreless 7th inning. The Mariners were down two runs at the time, so it wasn’t the highest leverage of spots, but they may move quickly to give Strickland some late-game hold or save chances. If and when that happens, we’ll adjust our hierarchy accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: *Strickland | Bass | Gearrin.
* = closer-by-committee

July 7, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla were placed on the IL on Saturday.  Cory Gearrin should see more time in the later innings with those guys out.  Hunter Strickland says he felt “awesome” after a recent bullpen session, but there is still no time table for his return.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Bass | Gearrin.
* = closer-by-committee

July 4, 2019
Seattle Mariners — A strength of the Mariners betrayed them last night, as Austin Adams and Roenis Elias combined to blow a two-run lead in the ninth. Adams loaded the bases and Elias cleared them. 

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Adams | Bass.
* = closer-by-committee

July 3, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Austin Adams extended his scoreless streak to 11 games on Tuesday by striking out all four batters he faced. He’s been very impressive since arriving in Seattle and has now surpassed Anthony Bass in the Mariners’ hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Elias | Adams | Bass.
* = closer-by-committee

June 16, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Brandon Brennan has been placed on the IL with a sore shoulder.  Austin Adams should see more time in the later innings while Brennan is out.  Also, Hunter Strickland had an MRI that revealed no new damage and he should start throwing again in the next few days.

Updated hierarchy: *Elias | Bass | Adams.
* = closer-by-committee

June 13, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Anthony Bass escaped Cory Gearrin’s mess in the eighth and got the chance to earn the save, but a single and a homer to start off the ninth put an end to that. After Seattle scored three in the top of the tenth, Roenis Elias made short work of the Twins. Meanwhile, Hunter Strickland had some soreness during his weekend rehab and won’t be back as early as expected.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Bass | Brennan.
* = closer-by-committee

June 7, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland should begin a rehab assignment next week after a bullpen session on Sunday. He was the closer before he was shelved, and not many M’s are standing in his way when he returns. 

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Bass | Brennan.
* = closer-by-committee

June 4, 2019
Seattle Mariners – He didn’t factor in to the decision, but we wanted to show some love for Wade Leblanc’s performance yesterday. After Seattle’s opener, Cory Gearrin, got knocked around in the first inning, the veteran lefty came on for the second and proceeded to throw EIGHT innings of “relief,” allowing just four baserunners and one run against the mighty Astros.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Bass | Brennan.
* = closer-by-committee

June 2, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Brandon Brennan was used in a tie game yesterday but ended up taking the loss after being charged with a run.  Brennan has now given up at least earned run in three of his past four outings.  Veteran Anthony Bass has been pitching well and should see more time in the later innings with Brennan struggling.

Updated hierarchy: *Elias | Bass | Brennan.
* = closer-by-committee

June 1, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Seattle had burned through its bullpen options in the past few days, leaving Austin Adams, Jesse Biddle and Anthony Bass as the only well-rested options. Bass got the last out of the eighth and then pitched a clean ninth inning to record his first save since April 2014, when he briefly had more saves on the year than strikeouts. Bass has only appeared in five games this year and has only given up one run in that time. He will probably need to show a bit more before he can crack the hierarchy, but with Seattle’s bullpen in disarray he may get some looks as the hot hand. .

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Brennan | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

May 31, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland will throw off a mound on Sunday for the first time in a while, a big step as he aims for a return in mid- to late June. He’ll be in the mix for saves when he gets back.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Brennan | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

May 18, 2019
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners designated Zac Rosscup for assignment yesterday as the Mariners shook up their roster in response to a 4-13 slump. Rosscup hasn’t been bad this year, posting a 3.21 ERA over 20 innings, but manager Scott Servais said that Rosscup wasn’t really built for how the Mariners are planning to use their bullpen. With Rosscup gone, the Mariners will likely lean on a combination of Connor Sadzeck, Cory Gearrin and even Anthony Swarzak to get the ball to Brandon Brennan and Roenis Elias.

Updated hierarchy: *Elias | Brennan | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

May 15, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Roenis Elias entered the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs. He recorded a strikeout to end that threat and then struck out the side in the eighth inning. Elias stayed on for the ninth and recorded another strikeout before capping off his impressive 30-pitch save by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. Scott Servais said his team is looking to ride a hot hand when leading in the late innings, and it appears like that Elias is that hot hand right now.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Brennan | Rosscup.
* = closer-by-committee

May 12, 2019
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners have one of the most unpredictable closer situations and that will likely continue until Hunter Strickland returns.  Yesterday, Roenis Elias came on in the 3rd inning and did not fare very well.  Brandon Brennan pitched a scoreless ninth inning with the Mariners down four.  However, it’s probably best not to overreact to that usage.  One reason Elias came on so early was that he was the most rested.  This is still a true committee, and matchups will dictate who finishes off any close wins.

Hierarchy remains: *Elias | Brennan | Rosscup.
* = closer-by-committee

May 11, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Anthony Swarzak did not get the next save chance for the Mariners. In fact, he pitched in the fifth and sixth innings of a blowout loss, and gave up a home run for the sixth time in his last seven outings. The Mariners are clearly not comfortable using him in high-leverage spots right now, and with Hunter Strickland set to begin a throwing program on Monday, they will have to lean on Roenis Elias and Brandon Brennan in the short term.

Updated hierarchy: *Elias | Brennan | Rosscup.
* = closer-by-committee

May 8, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Anthony Swarzak has been bad of late, having allowed an earned run in five of his last six appearances. That includes blowing his third save chance in four tries last night against the Yankees. Brandon Brennan wasn’t perfect on Tuesday either, but he only allowed one run while facing the top of the Yankees’ order, which appears to be by design. We’ll slot Brennan into the hierarchy based on last night’s usage and keep a close eye on whether Swarzak gets the next save chance for Seattle, as he should be on extremely thin ice.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Elias | Brennan.
* = closer-by-committee

April 21, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Anthony Swarzak returned to the ninth inning yesterday, and despite this great reaction to allowing a homer to Albert Pujols, he was able to hang on for his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Elias | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Roenis Elias closed out another game last night, pitching a clean bottom of the ninth after Seattle took the lead in the top. That makes four saves on the year for Elias, most on the team. We still see Anthony Swarzak as the best bet for saves — he was unavailable last night after throwing back-to-back games — but Elias is perfect in save chances, and is likely to get a few more while Hunter Strickland is out.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Elias | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

April 19, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Staked with a one-run lead in the eighth inning and the 9-1-2 hitters (including Mike Trout) due up, committee leader Anthony Swarzak got the call, but he promptly allowed a game-tying blast to 9-hole man David Fletcher. Of course, the Mariners took the lead again the top half of the ninth, giving Roenis Elias a chance to earn his third save, which he did. The M’s hit a bit of a skid recently but they are never truly out of a game given how well their bats have hit, so save chances will be plentiful for this bunch. Connor Sadzeck may get another opportunity soon, but keep an eye on Brandon Brennan, who has been dubbed the “secret weapon” thanks to a filthy changeup.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Elias | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

April 12, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Both Anthony Swarzak and Roenis Elias have been busy lately and were held out of Thursday’s matchup against the Royals, leaving Connor Sadzeck to pitch a clean 10th inning for his first save. He has been impressive in the early going (4 IP, 4 K, 0 R) since being called up and could be the mix for future opportunities behind Swarzak and Elias. Brandon Brennan, who got the win yesterday after striking out three Royals in the ninth inning, has also been impressive so far this season in 9.2 IP (0.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 10 K).

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Elias | Sadzeck.
* = closer-by-committee

April 11, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Anthony Swarzak bailed out the Mariners with a runner on in a tied eighth, so Roenis Elias came on once Seattle took the lead back against Brad Boxberger. Elias didn’t make things easy, loading the bases with two outs, but he induced a popup to escape with his second career save. The Mariners, predicted by PECOTA to win 75 games, are already 10 games over .500.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Elias | Festa.
* = closer-by-committee

April 6, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Cory Gearrin’s struggles continue. He gave up two walks and a HBP last night, and it is hard to imagine that the Mariners will run him out in a high-leverage spot anytime soon. Anthony Swarzak remains at the top of this committee and Roenis Elias will spell him when necessary. Matthew Festa has yet to give up a run and has three holds in his first four appearances. While he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, he’s been effective in his brief time in the majors.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Elias | Festa.
* = closer-by-committee

April 3, 2019
Seattle Mariners – Anthony Swarzak was activated off the IL prior to Tuesday’s game. Scott Servais said that he expected Swarzak to get an inning of work in that contest, but what might not have been expected was the type of work Swarzak would get. After starter Marco Gonzales went 8.1 innings, Swarzak entered the tilt with runners on first and third. He promptly struck out Albert Pujols and then induced Jonathan Lucroy into a groundout to pick up his first save as a Mariner. We’ll move Swarzak to the top of the hierarchy since we think he is Seattle’s best option to close, but Servais did say that he will continue using a mix of guys in the ninth.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Gearrin | Elias.
* = closer-by-committee

April 2, 2019
Seattle Mariners – The Seattle closer carousel on Monday landed on Roenis Elias, who converted for his first save of the season. We’ll add him to the hierarchy with the understanding that we still have no idea what’s going on here and that this looks to be a full-fledged full-bullpen approach on any given night.

Updated hierarchy: *Gearrin | Elias | Bradford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 1, 2019
Seattle Mariners – With Hunter Strickland on the IL, we figured Cory Gearrin would get a save chance or two for the Mariners, and he was indeed summoned for the 9th last night, but he responded by walking the bases loaded before getting yanked for Chasen Bradford. Bradford, pitching for the first time all season, managed to record the final two outs and picked up the save. By virtue of success, he enters the hierarchy, though we’d also again remind readers that Anthony Swarzak may be an option when he returns from the IL.

Updated hierarchy: *Gearrin | Bradford | Rosscup.
* = closer-by-committee

March 31, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland went on the IL yesterday and manager Scott Servais said that it could be a number of guys who get the ninth in his absence.  Zak Rosscup started the ninth yesterday with the Mariners up four but couldn’t finish off the win.  That left Nick Rumbelow to come on and get the final out for the save.  We think Cory Gearrin is still the best bet for saves, but this certainly looks like a committee for now.  Anthony Swarzack should return from the IL early next week and could also factor into save chances.

Updated hierarchy: Gearrin | Rosscup | Festa.
* = closer-by-committee

March 30, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland will head to the IL with a right lat strain. Cory Gearrin should be the first Mariner to have a crack at any save chances while Strickland is out.

Updated hierarchy: Gearrin | Rosscup | Festa.

March 30, 2019
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland blew his first save of the year, giving up a three-run homer to take the loss. Strickland looked out of sorts from the start, and there is some concern that he is carrying an injury, although he claimed he was fine after the game. If Strickland does need time on the IL, look for Cory Gearrin to get the first crack at closing, as he picked up his second hold of the year in a clean eighth inning last night.

Hierarchy remains: Strickland | Gearrin | Rosscup.

March 21, 2019
Seattle Mariners — With a long fly ball that fell to earth one foot from the left field fence in the Tokyo Dome a few minutes ago, Hunter Strickland picked up his second save in two days. Anthony Swarzak is on the injured list, so it was lefty Zac Rosscup setting up Strickland both days — although he’s put four guys on base in 1.2 innings. We’ll move Rosscup into the hierarchy, but Cory Gearrin looks like a better bet to fill in for Strickland if necessary.

Updated hierarchy: Strickland | Gearrin | Rosscup.

February 18, 2019
Seattle Mariners – After Edwin Diaz led all of baseball with 57 saves, he was traded as Seattle decided to join a growing trend in baseball: hitting the reset button before a long rebuild. The M’s have amassed a collection of bullpen arms, including a few with prior closing experience.  Newly signed Hunter Strickland has the most closing experience, and if he can keep his temper in check, he figures to be the best bet for saves to begin the year, with fellow newcomer Anthony Swarzak following close behind. Cory Gearrin, Shawn Armstrong and Chasen Bradford may also factor in at some point in the late innings, as could a resurgent Dan Altavilla.

Starting 2019 hierarchy:  Strickland | Swarzak | Armstrong.
Holds candidates: Swarzak, Armstrong, Gearrin, Bradford.

September 30, 2018
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz continued his incredible season on Saturday.  He recorded his 57th save of the season, which ties him for second most in MLB history.  He also has 124 strikeouts versus only 17 walks and an ERA under 2.00.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Vincent.

September 2, 2018
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners went to closer Edwin Diaz with the bases loaded and two outs in the 8th with a 4 run lead.  Diaz immediately gave up a bases-clearing double to make it a one-run game but was able to get out of the inning and pitch a scoreless ninth for his 51st save of the season.  Apparently, manager Scott Servais now has to wear a beanie propeller and chaps as a result of Diaz getting to 51 saves.  Pictures to come?

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Vincent.

August 21, 2018
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz continued his chase of history, recording his 48 th save in dominant fashion. The outing tied him with Fernando Rodney for most saves in a season in Mariners history, and he became the second-youngest player to ever record 100 saves in their career; he’s also got 107 Ks in 62 innings, for a ridiculous K/9 rate of 15.5. Diaz would need to save 15 of Seattle’s final 36 games to break the MLB saves record.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Vincent.

August 20, 2018
Seattle Mariners – In a surprise move, the Mariners sent James Pazos (2.68 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) to the minors on Sunday to work on his mechanics, he’d lost a couple of ticks off his fastball since the All Star break. Nick Vincent slides into his spot on the hierarchy, while Zach Duke could be the beneficiary of a few more holds.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Vincent.

July 31, 2018
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz became the first player to reach 40 saves and we aren’t even in August yet. Pat yourself on the back if you drafted him,k as he’s now on pace for a 60-save season, which would put him just short of the MLB record (62) set by Francisco Rodriguez. Also, look for the newly-acquired Zach Duke to share 7th inning duties with James Pazos, Nick Vincent and others.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

July 2, 2018
Seattle Mariners — Seattle’s 26-11 record in one-run games is due in large part to Edwin Diaz, whose 32 saves are tops in MLB by a whopping eight. Diaz, only 24, is already in the top 200 for career saves (84), and is on pace to threaten K-Rod’s record of 62 saves in a single season. K-Rod, by the way, is 16 months younger than Pat Neshek, and is currently earning saves alongside Jordany Valdespin and Emilio Bonifacio on the independent Long Island Ducks. (Get your QuackerJack wallpapers here.) The point here is that Edwin Diaz is really good.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

June 29, 2018
Seattle Mariners – With Edwin Diaz and Alex Colome unavailable, having both pitched three straight, the Mariners went to James Pazos and then Nick Vincent in a tie game. When they took the lead in the 10th inning, Juan Nicasio entered and picked up his first save of the season. We still consider him behind both Pazos and Vincent on the depth chart, though it’s rare anyone other than Diaz or Colome will be needed for saves on most nights.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

June 26, 2018
Seattle Mariners — Juan Nicasio picked up a hold in his first appearance off the DL, but his second outing on June 22 was a disaster in which he allowed four hits, one walk and five earned runs in 0.1 IP to move his ERA to 6.60. James Pazos picked up a seventh-inning hold on Monday and has been solid all year. Nick Vincent is also off the DL, and while he too got rocked on June 22, he’s probably ahead of Nicasio as well.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

June 19, 2018
Seattle Mariners — Juan Nicasio has been activated from the disabled list and should resume his role as an option in the seventh or eighth innings ahead of Edwin Diaz.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Nicasio.

June 9, 2018
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners suffered a pair of injuries in the bullpen, as both Dan Altavilla and Juan Nicasio were placed on the 10-day DL. Nicasio’s injury isn’t expected to be serious, but In his absence James Pazos is likely to see an increased role. He has only given up one run in his last 22 appearances, although many of those have been in a LOOGY role. Another arm to watch is Chasen Bradford, who is riding an eight-game scoreless streak of his own. In addition, Nick Vincent is set to begin a rehab assignment this weekend and may be activated as early as Monday.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

May 28, 2018
Seattle Mariners – The Vulture Save Watch got this one, too, as Alex Colome pitched the 9th inning while Edwin Diaz got the day off. Dilly dilly.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Colome | Nicasio.

May 26, 2018
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners landed Alex Colome from the Tampa Bay Rays. Look for Colome to become the primary setup man for Edwin Diaz and a good source of holds in leagues where that matters. However, this is a major hit to Colome’s fantasy value.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Nicasio. 

May 25, 2018
Seattle Mariners – Alex Colome loses his closer value and will join the set-up ranks of the Mariners. Look for him to get the ball in the 8th inning.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Nicasio. 

May 16, 2018
Seattle Mariners – Lefty James Pazos continued his strong 2018 on Tuesday with 13th straight scoreless outing, lowering his ERA to 1.13. He’s pitched the seventh inning in each of the last two games and is someone who should continue to get high-leverage opportunities. Pazos has 16 strikeouts and just one walk through 16 IP this year, and he has allowed just five hits over his last 13 appearances. The one person who should be worried is Juan Nicasio, who has been dreadful lately.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Nicasio | Vincent.

March 27, 2018
Seattle Mariners – David Phelps, the expected 7th or 8th inning man in Seattle, underwent Tommy John surgery this week and will miss the 2018 season. Look for Nick Vincent to get a few more holds as a result.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Nicasio | Vincent.

February 26, 2018
Seattle Mariners — 23-year-old Edwin Diaz is cultivating the mind of “an old guy on the mound,” and Seattle has a good mix of veterans and rookies to help keep baserunners off his lawn. New Mariner Juan Nicasio should own the eighth inning, with Nick Vincent and David Phelps also playing important roles.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Diaz | Nicasio | Phelps.
Holds candidates: Nicasio, Phelps, Marc Rzepczynski.

September 26, 2017
Seattle Mariners – Journeyman lefty Andrew Albers got his first career save on Monday, throwing the final three innings of a Mariners blowout. He does not factor in to their usual late inning plans, but if you somehow had him in your lineup yesterday, send us a screenshot and win Closer Monkey Premium for all of 2018!

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

September 6, 2017
Seattle Mariners – David Phelps was moved to the 60-day DL, ending his season. Obviously, he can safely be loose in holds leagues.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

September 2, 2017
Seattle Mariners — David Phelps is headed right back to the disabled list with the same right elbow impingement. Marc Rzepczynski returns to second in line.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

August 24, 2017
Seattle Mariners — David Phelps returned from the DL on Wednesday and immediately saw a high-leverage chance, entering a one-out, bases-loaded jam with the Mariners ahead, 4-3. Phelps allowed two of those inherited runners to score thanks to a single and a fielder’s choice, but the Mariners have to be happy to have one of their key arms back in the bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Phelps.

August 23, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Tony Zych has a forearm strain and will be sidelined for at least 10 days. Lefty Marc “Scrabble” Rzepczynski will hold down the seventh until David Phelps can return — possibly as early as Wednesday.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

August 17, 2017
Seattle Mariners — After Edwin Diaz walked three and hit two in the ninth inning, Scott Servais brought in lefty Marc Rzepczynski to strike out lefty slugger Chris Davis. Rzepczynski remains the fourth or fifth option in the Mariners pen.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Zych.

August 9, 2017
Seattle Mariners – David Phelps was placed on the DL Tuesday morning and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with an elbow impingement.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Zych.

August 7, 2017
Seattle Mariners – David Phelps retired the first man he faced in the 7th inning on Sunday, but then signaled to the dugout and was removed from the game. He’s headed back to Seattle for an exam, and until he’s back in action, Tony Zych could get a few more holds.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Zych.

July 21, 2017
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners have played good baseball as of late to get back to .500 (48-48) and made a trade Thursday to bolster the bullpen, acquiring David Phelps from the Marlins for four minor leaguers. A Seattle reporter suggests Phelps will typically work the sixth or seventh innings. Nick Vincent has been very good in the eighth for Seattle this year, so expect Phelps to begin his stint in Seattle by trying to get the ball to Vincent and Edwin Diaz.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Phelps.

June 24, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Yovani Gallardo pitched the last three innings of a blowout win to pick up a save in his first relief appearance since July 14, 2007. Come back in another 10 years for his next one.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Cishek.

June 23, 2017
Seattle Mariners — As the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Edwin Diaz was unavailable Thursday after pitching four straight days. With Nick Vincent also busy lately, the M’s turned to old friend Steve Cishek, who pitched a clean ninth for his first save. He may be a safe bet for late-inning appearances moving forward, whether fans like it or not.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Cishek.

June 10, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz has fully re-established himself as the Seattle closer and has no further need of the committee asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Pazos.

May 26, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz picked up a save Thursday, his first since May 9. He told reporters after the game that manager Scott Servais told him he would have been called upon earlier had Anthony Rendon come to the plate in the eighth inning. That situation would have been critical, because Bryce Harper was already on base and it would have meant that Ryan Zimmerman and/or Daniel Murphy would have reached as well. Servais said after the game that he likes Diaz in the ninth inning. It’s his job to lose at this point.

Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Vincent | Pazos.
* = closer-by-committee

May 21, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz had a positive outing on Friday night and could return to the closer’s role soon.  The Mariners will likely use Diaz in a non-save situation for his next appearance, but if he responds well, he could be back as closer after that.  We will leave Nick Vincent and James Pazos at the top of the committee for now, but we don’t expect that to last.

Updated hierarchy: *Vincent | Pazos | Diaz.
* = closer-by-committee

May 19, 2017
Seattle Mariners — During an interview with a Sirius XM fantasy sports show, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto gave answers that led host Craig Mish to believe James Pazos may be first in line for saves Seattle’s committee. The tweet led to a flurry of speculative pickups — and he’s probably worth it until we see the M’s in a save situation. Nick Vincent, for his part, pitched a scoreless ninth inning Thursday in a tie game and got the win when the M’s walked off in the bottom half. We suspect he’s likely the first in a committee that includes Tony Zych, the newly returned Steve Cishek, Mark Rzepczynski and… Pazos. Maybe.

Updated hierarchy: *Vincent | Pazos | Zych.
* = closer-by-committee

May 17, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz was demoted from the closer role Tuesday, replaced by a committee that will include Nick Vincent, Tony Zych, newly returned Steve Cishek, and Mark Rzepczynski. Two of those guys – Vincent and Zych – were unavailable for Tuesday night’s game, having pitched both three straight. That left former closer Steve Cishek, fresh off the DL, to try and close out the 9th. Cishek was not good, allowing a single and a two-run homer to blow a 5-4 lead. Cishek was one of just two righties available to pitch last night as part of a depleted bullpen and may eventually get a chance at the 9th again, but expect one of the other committee members to get the next save chance depending on matchups.

Updated hierarchy: *Vincent | Zych | Cishek.
* = closer-by-committee

May 16, 2017
Seattle Mariners — And, just like that, Edwin Diaz was demoted from the closer role, replaced by a committee that will include Nick Vincent, Tony Zych, newly returned Steve Cishek, and Mark Rzepczynski. For tonight’s purposes, note that Vincent and Zych have gone in three straight.

Updated hierarchy: *Vincent | Zych | Cishek.
* = closer-by-committee

May 16, 2017
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz entered the game with a three-run lead, retired the first man he faced, then walked the next four hitters he faced. Diaz’s control wasn’t there, but it didn’t completely elude him, as he reached a full count with all four hitters that he eventually walked, but he still needed to be bailed out by Tony Zych. Zych allowed another run to score via groundout, then re-loaded the bases with an intentional walk before running yet another full count to Adam Rosales. The game’s final pitch badly missed its spot, but was probably called correctly by the home plate ump, giving Zych his first career save. If Diaz (5.28 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) continues to struggle, look for Zych, Nick Vincent, or possibly the returning Steve Cishek (ugh, the human arm should not bend like that) to get save chances.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Zych.

April 25, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz is still the closer in Seattle, but you may see him used more in non-traditional closer spots.  Manager Scott Servais said that Diaz needs to pitch and he can’t always just save him for the ninth inning.  We don’t think this will impact Diaz’s fantasy value in a huge way so don’t overreact if you see Diaz enter the game in a non-save situation.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

April 22, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Dan Altavilla was sent down to AAA after giving up three runs on Thursday. This leaves a hole in the back end of Seattle’s bullpen, at least until Steve Cishek returns. Cishek had a passable outing for Tacoma last night and is expected back next week. For now, Mark Rzepczynski is likely to see any emergency save opportunities, especially if the Mariners are facing a lefty-heavy lineup.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Rzepczynski.

April 15, 2017
Seattle Mariners — Mark Rzepczynski has been excellent in the early going, including a scoreless outing last night for his third hold of the season. Scrabble is a classic LOOGY with a hefty contract, who has squeezed 10 outs out of the nine lefties he has faced this season, thanks to a double play. While he won’t see many traditional save chances, he could vulture an opportunity if Diaz is unavailable and the ninth is lefty-heavy.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Altavilla | Vincent.

April 10, 2017
Seattle Mariners – The Angels staged a stunning comeback against the Seattle bullpen on Sunday, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the 9th to win the game 10-9. Casey Fien was the main offender, but Edwin Diaz also had his first rough outing of the season, facing seven batters and allowing five of them to reach base. Diaz has some of the best stuff in the bigs, and the Mariners don’t have any strong options behind him, so we suspect he bounces back quickly, but we’ll drop Nick Vincent down a peg in favor of last year’s closer for Seattle’s AA affiliate, Dan Altavilla. Vincent wasn’t part of the massive meltdown, but he had a role in paving the way, giving up two runs in the 7th, while Altavilla, who throws a nice slide-piece, struck out the only hitter he faced in the 8th.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Altavilla | Vincent.

March 30, 2017
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners’ bullpen has been ravaged by injuries — Tony Zych and Steve Cishek will be on the shelf through at least mid-April, while Shae Simmons could see an even longer absence. 24-year-old Dan Altavilla — who made 28 starts in high-A in 2005 and jumped straight to the bigs from the Jacksonville Suns Jumbo Shrimp — will be counted on to repeat his impressive run from last September.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Vincent | Altavilla.

February 27, 2017
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz, the 22-year-old fireballer, starts the season as the Mariners’ closer. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Diaz was the quickest rookie to 50 strikeouts since 1893 — and now, he will be introducing a new pitch in 2017. Watch out. Last year’s opening day closer, Steve Cishek, should get the bulk of the holds as the team’s setup man. He’s returning from surgery to repair a torn left hip labrum, so if he’s not ready to go at the start of the year, Nick Vincent, among others, will slide up the hierarchy.

Starting 2017 hierarchy: Diaz | Cishek | Vincent.
Holds candidates: Cishek, Vincent.

September 29, 2016
Seattle Mariners — If the Mariners miss out on the playoffs, it certainly won’t be Evan Scribner’s fault. After missing the first five months of the season with a strained right lat, he joined the team in the September roster expansion and has been fantastic — 12.1 scoreless IP over 10 games, with 14 Ks and only eight baserunners. Wednesday afternoon, Scribner escaped a Nick Vincent jam on his way to two more scoreless innings. He can’t crack the hierarchy, but he deserves a little love.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Cishek | Vincent.

September 27, 2016
Seattle Mariners – In a game with significant playoff implications, Edwin Diaz got torched by the Astros in the 9th inning, blowing his third save of the season. Luckily for Diaz, his team was able to bail him out by scratching out a run in the 11th to take the lead. In the bottom of the 11th, Nick Vincent kept Mariners fans on edge as he wobbled his way through the last three outs, earning his third save of the season. Down the stretch, we expect the Mariners to stick with Diaz, who has been solid lately, boasting a sub-1.00 WHIP in his last 30 appearances.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Cishek | Vincent.

September 11, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Tom Wilhelmsen returned from the disabled list yesterday.  He pitched in a Mariners’ blowout victory and gave up a couple runs.  Nick Vincent hasn’t allowed a run since Wilhelmsen went on the disabled list in late August and has picked up three holds during that time.  We will leave Vincent on the hierarchy for now and watch how the Mariners use the veteran Wilhelmsen down the stretch.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Cishek | Vincent.

August 28, 2016
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners have placed Tom Wilhelmsen on the disabled list with back spasms.  Steve Cishek and Nick Vincent should help set-up Edwin Diaz while Wilhemsen is out.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Cishek | Vincent.

August 20, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Steve Cishek didn’t get into a close game after he returned from the DL Friday. Meanwhile, Edwin Diaz struggled (three walks, two runs) but managed to pick up his ninth save of the year. The Mariners are likely to be cautious with Cishek coming off a hip injury, but he should be back into the late-inning mix before long.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Cishek.

August 11, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz had pitched in four of five games, and Tom Wilhelmsen had gone in three of four — so out came Nick Vincent to face the heart of Detroit’s order in a save situation. Arquimedes Caminero hasn’t done anything wrong — he earned the win with a perfect eighth — but Scott Servais evidently loves what Vincent can do against righties.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Vincent.

August 9, 2016
Seattle Mariners – A few days ago, the Pirates traded flamethrower Arquimedes Caminero to the Mariners. Yesterday, the Mariners called up Caminero from Triple-A and he was immediately put into a high-leverage spot last night in the 8th inning. The Mariners seem keen on Caminero helping them down the stretch, so we will add him to our hierarchy. Sorry, Drew Storen.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Caminero.

August 8, 2016
Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz got the night off after pitching in four of the last five, so Tom Wilhelmsen picked up the save in his stead. Meanwhile, the Vulture Save Watch patted itself on the back.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Storen.

August 2, 2016
Seattle Mariners – Former closer Steve Cishek was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a hip injury. Tom Wilhelmsen and the recently acquired Drew Storen may see opportunities when 22-year-old phenom Edwin Diaz isn’t available to close for the M’s.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Storen.

August 2, 2016
Seattle Mariners – After back-to-back poor outings, including a blown save on Sunday, Steve Cishek is out as Mariners closer. Edwin Diaz will take over for Cishek, with Tom Wilhelmsen likely getting the 8th for now. Cishek may still see some work in the 7th if Seattle has the lead, so we’ll keep him in the hierarchy for now, though recently-acquired Drew Storen is also a candidate to get some looks in the 7th.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilhelmsen | Cishek.

August 1, 2016
Seattle Mariners – Steve Cishek blew his sixth save of the season last night, leading to Jon Lester’s walkoff bunt in the 12th inning. Edwin Diaz, whose K/9 is beyond ridiculous, looms ominously, and would close if Cishek is traded today. He might close soon, anyway.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Diaz | Wilhelmsen.

July 27, 2016
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners traded Joaquin Benoit to Toronto for the recently DFA’d Drew Storen late Tuesday night. Storen comes to Seattle with a 6.21 ERA, though GM Jerry Dipoto is confident that Storen can get back on track over the next two months. Tom Wilhelmsen picked up his fifth hold of the season on Tuesday in a Mariners win and should see more of the seventh inning with Benoit heading north of the border.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Diaz | Wilhelmsen.

July 24, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Wade LeBlanc pitched the last three innings of a Mariners blowout win to record his first save of the season. He didn’t pitch particularly well, giving up three runs, and he will not be seeing any high leverage late inning action any time soon.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Diaz | Benoit.

July 23, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz pitched the eighth inning of a one-run game and added two more strikeouts to his league-leading 44 relief strikeouts since his June 6 debut. A converted starter, Diaz has a plus fastball and an incredible 18.3 K/9 ratio this season. All that’s holding him back thus far is his age (22), but four straight eighth-inning appearances suggests that Scott Servais is coming around to using him over Joaquin Benoit. It may be hard for Diaz to keep up his otherworldly ratios, but he could still see save chances soon.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Diaz | Benoit.

July 17, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz pitched the eighth inning in Saturday’s 1-0 win, striking out two and allowing just one hit. After the game, Scott Servais said that Diaz has “earned his trust,” but that Diaz hasn’t formally supplanted Joaquin Benoit in the eighth inning. Servais’s major concern is overusing Diaz, who is not yet used to a long major league season. So while Benoit is still the most likely option ahead of Steve Cishek, don’t be surprised if Diaz continues to get high-leverage spots as the Mariners try and climb back into the playoff picture.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Benoit | Diaz.

July 3, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Former starter Nathan Karns pitched the last three innings of a Mariners’ blowout win and earned his first career save.  Karns does not factor into the Mariners normal late inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Benoit | Diaz.

June 29, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz, a starter-turned-reliever, was called up from Double-A on June 4 and picked up his fourth hold of the season on Tuesday. He showed off his plus fastball to get the final out of the eighth, striking out Gregory Polanco while hitting 100, 101 and 99 on the radar gun. With two strikeouts on Tuesday, Diaz has now fanned 21 of the 58 batters he has faced (36.2%) this season. He earned praise from manager Scott Servais after the game, and with the stuff he has, Diaz should get more high-leverage looks for the Mariners.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Diaz.

June 3, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Struggling reliever Joel Peralta was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Thursday. The 40-year-old had a good April (3.00 ERA, .161 BAA) but has struggled mightily since then, allowing five home runs to the tune of a 10.00 ERA over his last nine innings. Keep an eye on Nick Vincent (2.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP), or perhaps Steve Johnson, who has impressed manager Scott Servais lately.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Vincent.

May 18, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Joaquin Benoit has been activated from the disabled list and rejoined the Mariners in Baltimore on Tuesday night.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Peralta.

May 14, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Joel Peralta and Steve Cishek each allowed two runs for a rare 2016 Seattle blown save.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Peralta | Vincent.

May 12, 2016
Seattle Mariners — The Vulture Save Watch knew that Steve Cishek would need a night off, but it turns out Joel Peralta needed one too — which left a save opportunity for Nick Vincent. He blew the tough save, but has pitched well enough that he may keep seeing high-leverage work even after Joaquin Benoit returns from the DL, which may happen as soon as next week.

Hierarchy remains: Cishek | Peralta | Vincent.

May 3, 2016
Seattle Mariners – Nick Vincent grabbed his fourth hold of the season last night, pitching in the seventh inning. The Mariners have not been using the flamethrower Tony Zych as much as we anticipated, and with Vincent getting holds chances with increasing frequency, we will flip them in the hierarchy for now.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Peralta | Vincent.

April 26, 2016
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners have sent 38-year old reliever Joaquin Benoit to the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation and recalled reliever Mayckol Guaipe. Last night, Joel Peralta slid into the 8th inning role, surrendering one run, but maintaining the lead and grabbing a hold. Based on recent usage and the fact that he throws about 110 mph, we anticipate that Tony Zych will get put into some high pressure spots while Benoit is away.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Peralta | Zych.

April 21, 2016
Seattle Mariners — Joel Peralta took the 7th inning for the Mariners on Wednesday and picked up his second hold of the year. Tony Zych has been used mainly in longer relief, so Peralta takes his spot in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Peralta.

February 29, 2016
Seattle Mariners — The Mariners traded away Carson Smith and Tom Wilhelmsen in the offseason, leaving an already fragile bullpen in shambles. Steve Cishek will close for now; he has closing experience, but struggled in Miami last year and lost his job quickly. 38-year-old Joaquin Benoit will back up Cishek; he comes off a strong season setting up Craig Kimbrel in San Diego. Keep an eye on September call-up Tony Zych, whom the Mariners received from the Cubs for only $1 last year. Zych, 25, has a fastball that can touch 99 and a wicked slider. His star will rise if he can calm his control issues.

Starting 2016 hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Zych.
Holds candidates: Benoit, Charlie Furbush, Evan Scribner.

September 3, 2015
Seattle Mariners –  Manager Lloyd McClendon has taken a lot of flak from us this year. From sticking with Fernando Rodney as the closer for too long, to using Fernando Rodney when he couldn’t get anybody out, McClendon has taken a lot of the blame for Seattle’s bullpen woes. We need to give credit where credit is due though. In a tie game, as the visitors, McClendon used Carson Smith for the highest-leverage out of the night to that point. When Logan Kensing got in trouble in the 8th, McClendon didn’t hesitate to bring in closer Tom Wilhelmsen to get out of the jam. McClendon left him in for the 9th after Seattle scored three more runs, and he picked up a five-out save. Using your best pitchers in the most important spots, regardless of what their “role” in the bullpen is, that’s how you get the most out of your team! Maybe if McClendon had been doing this all along, Seattle wouldn’t be 10 games back in its division.

Hierarchy remains: Wilhelmsen | Smith | Kensing.

August 27, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Prior to Wednesday’s game, manager Lloyd McClendon officially named Tom Wilhelmsen his closer, with Carson Smith to continue to pitch ahead of him. McClendon praised both pitchers, noting how comfortable and relaxed both relievers seem to be.

Hierarchy remains: Wilhelmsen | Smith | Kensing.

August 26, 2015
Seattle Mariners – In one of the most unsettled bullpens in the league, it was Logan Kensing that pitched the 7th ahead of Carson ‘Smith and Tom Wilhelmsen. Edgar Olmos got the win after 3.2 innings of long relief. This is Kensing’s second straight hold since being called up on Aug. 23, and that is enough to jump into our hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Wilhelmsen | Smith | Kensing.

August 23, 2015
Seattle Mariners — It was another rough night for the Mariners bullpen as Carson Smith blew the save in the ninth inning and then Danny Farquhar gave up three runs (one earned) in the tenth inning.  After the game, the Mariners decided to shake things up as they optioned Farquhar and designated Fernando Rodney for assignment.  Tom Wilhelmsen threw 1.1 scoreless innings on Saturday and should slide into 1st in line behind Carson Smith.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Wilhelmsen | Olmos.

August 22, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Despite being abjectly terrible at baseball (5.68 ERA, 7.9 K-BB%, -0.8 WAR), Fernando Rodney (golden chinstrap edition) somehow leads Seattle in appearances and innings pitched after another debacle on Friday. It’s natural to blame Lloyd McClendon, though Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times claims that the manager asked to DFA Rodney over a month ago. Unless Rodney does get cut, we don’t see a way to drop him from the hierarchy completely, not with the human flotsam backing him up. How the mighty have fallen.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Farquhar | Rodney.

August 19, 2015
Seattle Mariners – After his extra-inning save on Sunday, Danny Farquhar got another high-leverage spot on Tuesday and delivered, picking up an eighth-inning hold ahead of Carson Smith. It was Farquhar’s second straight perfect outing. Perhaps Tom Wilhemsen needed a night off after three straight outings, but he only threw five pitches on Monday. It looks as if Farquhar is rising quickly in Lloyd McClendon’s bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Rodney | Farquhar.

August 17, 2015
Seattle Mariners – After a successful recent stretch in AAA, Danny Farquhar returned to the big leagues over the weekend and picked up a save in extra innings on Sunday. At the moment, he doesn’t factor in to the usual late-inning plans in Seattle, but given Carson Smith’s struggles (he blew another save on Sunday), Farquhar could become an option for Lloyd McClendon. A resume that includes “past closer experience” still plays pretty well among most MLB managers.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

August 6, 2015
Seattle Mariners – With a two-run lead and a man on first in the 8th inning, Carson Smith was summoned into the game. He was supposed to be unavailable, but was used for a single batter, and he got an inning-ending double play. After Joe Biemel took the first out of the 9th, Fernando Rodney was brought in to close the door. He imploded, giving up the tying runs and walking another hitter, then he was mercifully removed. Rodney had put together 5 scoreless appearances before this, but given how poor his overall year has been, he may not see many more chances. Smith’s usage in the 8th was odd, too, so Tom Wilhelmsen is someone to keep an eye on going forward in this mess of a bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

August 3, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen picked up an 11th inning save on Sunday after Carson Smith and Fernando Rodney had already pitched. He’s not likely to get more save chances, but we’ll bump him up to the hierarchy for his efforts.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

August 2, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith had another rough outing on Saturday night, as he blew a one run save opportunity and took the loss.  Despite Smith’s recent troubles, manager Lloyd McClendon said he would be out there again if there was a save on Sunday.  Former closer Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the 8th last night and now has three straight perfect appearances.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Nuno.

August 1, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith can breathe a little easier today; Mark Lowe, his most talented competition for high-leverage work, was sent to Toronto in a deadline deal. Fernando Rodney and his 5.57 ERA move up by default, with Vidal Nuno holding down second in line, at least until Charlie Furbush can return from the disabled list (biceps tendinitis) in mid-August.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Rodney | Nuno.

July 28, 2015
Seattle Mariners – After taking the loss last night, Carson Smith has now had two outings and two losses since we removed his asterisk. As mentioned yesterday, the guy who he might have competition from now, though, is Mark Lowe. Lloyd McClendon favorite Fernando Rodney still lurks, as well.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Lowe | Rodney.

July 27, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Mark Lowe pitched the 8th and 9th innings of a tie game on Sunday, posting two scoreless frames and lowering his ERA to a tidy 1.03. Lowe has been no fluke, as he’s throwing all of his pitches harder this year and has 46 strikeouts (in 35 innings) to show for it, and his Sunday outing mirrored an outing he had on Thursday, where he also kept the game tied in a 2-inning appearance. Those two outings — coupled with his 8th inning hold on Friday — have pushed Lowe to the 1st in line spot.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Lowe | Rodney.

July 26, 2015
Seattle Mariners — We finally remove the asterisk from Carson Smith and how does he repay us?  He has his worst outing of the season.  Smith allowed two runs on two hits and two walks without recording an out and took the loss on Saturday.  Luckily for Smith, Fernando Rodney also allowed two runs on Saturday.  However, another outing like this one from Smith, and Rodney and Mark Lowe could enter the conversation for save chances moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Lowe.

July 25, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Over the last two months, Carson Smith has nine saves and Fernando Rodney has two (and two blown saves). After Smith shut down Toronto in the ninth on Friday night, we think it’s time for him to shed his asterisk and be considered the Seattle closer, full stop. Just promise us you won’t tell Lloyd McClendon.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Lowe.

July 24, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Extra-inning games tend to stretch out a bullpen, and that was the case Thursday, when all of the Mariners relievers in the late-innings hierarchy got a crack. All pitched well, with Mark Lowe tossing a scoreless eighth and ninth, Carson Smith getting all three outs in the tenth, and Fernando Rodney managing to throw a scoreless eleventh. Rodney earned the win when Tigers reliever Ian Krol gave up the go-ahead run in the top half of the twelfth, and old friend Tom Wilhelmsen pitched a clean bottom half for his first save of the year. The team’s former closer, Wilhelmsen will not factor into the team’s ninth-inning plans moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 19, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Carson Smith recorded his 7th save of the season yesterday, while Fernando Rodney was used for the last out of 8th inning.  Smith gave up a run in the 9th, but the fact that Rodney was used in the 8th and Smith was able to convert another save opportunity should bode well for him moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 10, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Carson Smith needed only two pitches to record a save on Thursday night — entering with two outs in the 9th and the bases loaded, he retired Kole Calhoun on a groundout. With the Mariners sporting a 7-2 lead, that appearance made him juuuust barely eligible for his sixth save of the year. We will happily use this as an excuse to bump him back to the top of the closer committee; Fernando Rodney was used in the 8th inning and gave up a solo HR.

Updated hierarchy: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 8, 2015
Seattle Mariners – After a stretch of nine-straight scoreless appearances, Fernando Rodney was up to his old tricks again, allowing a solo shot in the 8th inning to blow a one-run lead. In Rodney’s defense, it was Yoenis Cespedes who crushed a 98-mph fastball over the centerfield fence. Carson Smith pitched the 9th and 10th in a tie game and struck out five of the six batters he faced. With manager Lloyd McClendon unavailable to manage the series with Detroit, bench coach Trent Jewett said that both Smith and Rodney will be used as the team’s closer. After 36 pitches from Smith on Tuesday, Rodney is all but a lock for the next chance.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 6, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney put two men on in the 9th inning, but managed to earn the save. Despite our continued whining about Lloyd McClendon’s refusal to give the job to Carson Smith, Rodney has been effective lately, and Sunday was his 9th straight scoreless appearance. His ratios are still pretty bad — he’s had 6 Ks and 5 BBs during his scoreless stretch — so the wheels could fall off again at any moment. But he’s likely to continue to get chances if he continues to put up zeroes.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 4, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith didn’t do himself any favors in the fight for Seattle saves, giving up a couple runs after coming on with a six-run lead in the ninth inning.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

July 2, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Just when it seemed like Fernando Rodney had resumed his 9th-inning duties, manager Lloyd McClendon opened up the committee again. Rodney came into the 8th inning to protect a three-run lead. This makes sense if he was facing the heart of the order, but he was facing the 7-8-9 hitters. Not really a place where you would find your closer. Carson Smith was warming up for the save opportunity, but when the Mariners tacked on four runs in the top of the 9th, they sat him down and turned to Tom Wilhelmsen. We are still big fans of Carson Smith, and this seems to suggest he will still see some save chances down the road despite McClendon’s affinity towards Rodney.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

June 29, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney put up another scoreless outing on Sunday, which will give Lloyd McClendon more reason to do what he’s said he wants to do anyway — get his former closer back into the 9th inning. Should-be closer Carson Smith, meanwhile, finished off the 8th inning in a tie game. This remains a committee, but we’ll bump Rodney back to the top of the pile while aiming a scowl in McClendon’s general direction.

Updated hierarchy: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

June 27, 2015
Seattle Mariners — With Mike Trout and Albert Pujols up in the eighth inning, Lloyd McClendon called on Carson Smith, leaving Fernando Rodney to face his first save situation since early June. Smith has done nothing wrong in his short term as head of Seattle’s closer committee, but we know McClendon is rooting for “proven closer” Rodney to earn his job back.

Hierarchy remains: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.

June 19, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith has converted all three save opportunities since taking over the closer’s role, but manager Lloyd McClendon is still worried about Smith’s durability, and said on Wednesday that old closer Fernando Rodney, or a combination of Rodney and others, would get the call when and if Smith is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.

June 18, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush got the call to start the 9th inning in a two-run game, but Lloyd McClendon was simply playing the matchups, as he yanked Furbush after he got the lefties in the lineup out. Carson Smith struck out the only batter he faced to snag an easy save. Smith continues to lead the Seattle committee, but this could easily have been Furbush’s save had the last batter been a lefty.

Hierarchy remains: *Smith | Lowe | Furbush.

June 10, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Carson Smith continues to look like the lead arm in the Seattle committee; he was handed the 9th inning in a two-run game on Tuesday, his second straight save opportunity. This time it didn’t go quite as smoothly for him, with a leadoff home run and a single preceding the final out. The young righthander’s phenomenal season continues, and a couple more clean save opportunities could see him kick the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Smith | Lowe | Furbush.

June 7, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith pitched a perfect 9th on Saturday night to record his first career save.  Manager Lloyd McClendon said recently that he didn’t have any alternatives to Rodney, but finally admitted that Rodney would get some time off from closing to clean up some things.  It looks like it will be a closer-by-committee with Mark Lowe and Charlie Furbush also getting chances situationally.  Carson Smith should get the majority of chances, but he has only pitched three days in a row once this season and the Mariners will likely be cautious with his usage even on back-to-back nights.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Lowe | Furbush.
* = closer-by-committee

June 6, 2015
Seattle Mariners — When Friday’s game stayed scoreless into the ninth, all-star coach Lloyd McClendon turned to the ultimate offensive catalyst — Fernando Rodney, who gave up the go-ahead home run. Apparently enamored with Rodney’s “man muscles,” the manager has steadfastly refused to consider replacing him with Carson Smith, but after this latest failure, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a change announced before Saturday’s game.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Smith | Wilhemsen.

June 3, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Fernando Rodney has 14 saves this year, which is probably thanks to the fact that manager Lloyd McClendon won’t remove him from the closer role despite a 6.85 ERA and another blown save on Tuesday. McClendon defended Rodney again after Tuesday’s game, and gave no indication that he’ll move in a different direction anytime soon. Sorry, Carson Smith.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Smith | Wilhemsen.

May 27, 2015
Seattle Mariners –Following a Fernando Rodney blown save in which Rodney allowed three runs, Joe Beimel picked up his first save since June 11, 2009. Rodney may have pulled off the save if not for Robinson Cano not being able to turn a double play in the ninth, but his ERA climbed to 6.98 instead. Manager Lloyd McClendon doesn’t care about ERA, and Rodney is indeed third in the AL with 13 saves, but you wonder how long McClendon can ignore Carson Smith’s 0.86 ERA and 0.67 WHIP.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Smith | Wilhemsen.

May 24, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Tom Wilhelmsen, who had 24 saves just two season ago, pitched a scoreless 7th inning yesterday with the Mariners up 1.  Since his return from the DL in early May, Wilhemsen has 5 scoreless appearances.  With Danny Farquhar struggling, Wilhemsen, who manager Lloyd McClendon calls “the glue,” could see more time in the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Smith | Wilhemsen.

May 15, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Earlier this week, we learned that setup man Danny Farquhar (5.29 ERA) is trying to figure out what’s gone wrong this season. While he does, rookie Carson Smith continues to impress at the back end of the bullpen, tossing a clean eighth inning ahead of Fernando Rodney on Thursday night. Rodney himself was not so clean, allowing the go-ahead run to take the loss in a 2-1 game. Rodney (5.65 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) has now allowed runs in three of his last four appearances. He’s still the Mariners’ closer, but Smith has earned the right to be next in line if Rodney continues to struggle.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Smith | Farquhar.

May 6, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar picked up his second blown save of the season on Tuesday, giving up two runs in the eighth inning. Since his last hold on April 18, Farquhar is 0-1 with two blown saves and just one hold, bumping his ERA up to 5.02. Manager Lloyd McClendon did not say much about Farquhar specifically after the game, but he may be pitching his way out of a chance to get saves when Fernando Rodney is unavailable.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Smith.

May 5, 2015
Seattle Mariners – In a bit of a surprise, Yoervis Medina was optioned to AAA over the weekend. Medina had been among the names mentioned by speculators when Fernando Rodney was struggling, but Medina had struggled with his control in recent weeks (5 BBs in his last 4.2 innings) and will attempt to straighten himself out in the minors. Fortunately for the Mariners, righty Carson Smith (0.73 ERA) has emerged as a reliable arm in the bullpen. Smith picked up his 5th hold of the season on Sunday and should be considered for save chances on nights when Fernando Rodney is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Farquhar | Smith.

April 15, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney continued his poor pitching on Tuesday and this time it resulted in his first blown save since July 20, 2014. Manager Lloyd McClendon has already said prior to Tuesday that he won’t fly off the handle after a bad outing, and stated after last night that his team is going to be fine.  If Rodney doesn’t improve however, McClendon may not have much choice going forward. One choice he won’t have is to use former closer Tom Wilhelmsen, who hit the DL.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

April 12, 2015
Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney had an atrocious outing on Sunday afternoon, allowing the A’s to score four runs in the bottom of the 9th inning — Yoervis Medina would eventually pick up the save in extras. Rodney also had a shaky spring, with 7 walks in 8.1 IPs, and with his control problems spilling over into the regular season, those in deeper leagues might look to stash either Medina or Danny Farquhar should Rodney end up on the Hot Seat. (He’s already pretty close.)

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

March 6, 2015
Seattle Mariners — Almost everyone from Seattle’s surprisingly effective 2014 bullpen is returning this season, including Fernando Rodney, who led MLB and set a Mariners record with his 48 saves, and inspired the Little League champions to skew their hats and fire imaginary arrows. Danny Farquhar and Yoervis Medina will be back in their set-up roles too, ensuring that Seattle’s pen will once again lead the league in Scrabble points (non-Rzepczynski division).

Starting 2015 hierarchy: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.
Holds candidates: Charlie Furbush, Medina.

August 14, 2014
Seattle Mariners — Don’t tell Fernando Rodney he needs rest — not before an off day. On Wednesday night, he pitched for the fifth time in six days, running his weekly pitch count to 90. Yoervis Medina took the eighth, but as we mentioned a few times in July, until he actually spells Rodney one of these times, we’ll keep him behind Danny Farquhar.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

July 20, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush picked up his first save of the season on Saturday, pitching the bottom of the 12th inning. He does not factor in to the Mariners’ usual late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

July 15, 2014
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners are in playoff contention and a big reason is Fernando Rodney’s terrific season at closer. Seattle will stay pat with its bullpen as it makes a playoff push. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: None

July 11, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Though he’s rarely been used as the 8th inning man, Lloyd McLendon tabbed Danny Farquhar as his backup closer as recently as two weeks ago. But man, it’s weird to see your backup closer pitching in the THIRD inning of a game, as Farquhar did last night. We’ve been perpetually befuddled by this bullpen all season, mostly because it’s been very good top to bottom — McLendon hasn’t really needed to designate specific roles his more effective pitchers, because they’ve all been so effective. So we’re still going to trust that Farquhar truly would be the guy to take over should something happen to Fernando Rodney. But man, the third inning? Really?

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

July 3, 2014
Seattle Mariners — It’s still really close between Danny Farquhar and Yoervis Medina — Medina has been getting a lot of eighth-inning work and hasn’t allowed a run in 51 days, but Farquhar has closed in the past, got a vulture save opp in May, and was lined up for another in June. We’ll keep them in this order until and unless there’s a clear indication that Yoervis has moved ahead.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

July 1, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen pitched the final three innings of a 10-4 Mariners win and picked up his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

June 23, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Though he spent part of 2013 as the closer, Danny Farquhar didn’t appear to be the backup to Fernando Rodney — he often pitched the 7th inning, and has only accumulated 6 holds. But on Sunday, it was Farquhar who was the closer du jour with Rodney unavailable. As it turned out, Rodney insisted he was fine despite pitching in three straight, so Farquhar finished off the 8th and Rodney picked up the save in the 9th, but we now know that despite his weird usage, Farquhar is the handcuff in Seattle.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

June 22, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Yoervis Medina picked up the win last night after pitching a perfect 8th inning in a tie game.  Medina has not given up a run in his last 11 appearances and looks to have moved ahead of Danny Farquhar.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Medina | Farquhar.

June 1, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Yoervis Medina pitched a scoreless 8th ahead of closer Fernando Rodney last night with the Mariners up one run.  He struck out two batters and picked up his 9th hold of the season.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

May 5, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney was unavailable after a 4-out save on Saturday, so Danny Farquhar got the final outs in his place.  The Mariners have mixed and matched in the 8th inning all year, but this leaves no doubt that Farquhar will be the man to inherit the job if Rodney needs to be replaced.  No hierarchy change.

April 28, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar has had a very different season from a year ago. In 2013, despite posting a spectacular strikeouts per inning ratio, he was often the victim of hard luck, finishing the season with an ERA over 4. This year, he’s not striking out as many people and his walks are up, yet his ERA is 1.50. He got the 8th inning last night (after Tom Wilhelmsen pitched the 7th) and earned the win after the Mariners broke the tie. Fernando Rodney is 5/6 in save chances, but he hasn’t exactly been reliable and currently has a WHIP higher than Farquhar’s ERA. If Rodney falters, Farquhar could pick up where he left off last year. Hierarchy change: Danny Farquhar to Set-up, Tom Wilhelmsen to 2nd in line.

April 17, 2014
Seattle Mariners — Fernando Rodney was all over the place on Wednesday night, turning a Felix Hernandez gem into a loss with two unearned runs. The Mariners’ bullpen is somewhat unsettled; although Tom Wilhelmsen would probably be the most likely replacement closer, he hasn’t been used in exclusively high-leverage spots. Nor has Danny Farquhar, who watched Charlie Furbush and Yoervis Medina handle the eighth last night. We’re not quite sure what to tell you about Seattle, other than not to trust the guy with the crooked hatNo hierarchy change.

April 1, 2014
Seattle Mariners — Tom Wilhelmsen retired all four batters he faced, including Albert Pujols with two on, two out in the seventh inning, in a solid performance. Fernando Rodney was warming for the ninth before the Mariners scored six in their half of the eighth, which meant Danny Farquhar got the call for the final three outs. Wilhelmsen has closing experience – albeit rocky – but if he can continue to get outs in high-leverage spots he’ll be contending with a shaky Rodney for save opportunities. Hierarchy change: Tom Wilhelmsen to Set-up, Danny Farquhar to 2nd in line.

March 13, 2014
Seattle Mariners — Fernando Rodney’s astonishing one-off 2012 season, in which his 3.8 WAR doubled the total from his other ten years combined, makes him the “Gangnam Style” of relievers. Ranked #18 in our preseason closer rankings.

March 7, 2014
Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar spent much of 2013 putting up phenomenal peripherals that the Mariners just didn’t trust for some reason, waiting until August to hand him the closer job.  Well, not much has changed — the Mariners still don’t trust Farquhar, and scooped up the enigmatic Fernando Rodney to be their 9th inning man.  If Rodney puts up 2012 numbers, then obviously Farquhar will never sniff the job.  If Rodney puts up 2013 numbers, then Farquhar could win it pretty quickly.  Tom Wilhelmsen is lurking as well, and starts the season in our 2nd in line position, while Stephen Pryor is still seen as the closer of the future in Seattle, and continues to work his way back from injury.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Fernando Rodney, Set-up – Danny Farquhar, 2nd in line – Tom Wilhelmsen.

September 16, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Carter Capps was summoned in the 5th inning on Sunday and has been knocked around in his last few outings.  After a short time when Capps was getting some higher-leverage innings, Charlie Furbush has resumed to his role as a dual set-up man with Yoervis Medina.  Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line, replacing Carter Capps.

September 7, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Carter Capps got the call in the 8th inning last night with the Mariners protecting a one run lead.  Capps ended up giving up the game tying run but prior to last night he had a 7.2 inning scoreless streak.   The young hard throwing righty has the stuff to close and should continue to be used in the later innings for the Mariners.  Hierarchy change: Carter Capps to 2nd in line, replacing Charlie Furbush.

September 2, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen was among Seattle’s September callups, and though The Bartender won’t be getting into any high-leverage spots right away, a few good outings could compel the Mariners to put him in to some tighter spots.  If he performs, it could raise his trade value prior to 2014, which is the last year before he is eligible for salary arbitration.  No hierarchy change.

August 18, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Oliver Perez allowed six runs, four hits, and two walks in Saturday’s eighth; his struggles continue. No hierarchy change.

August 17, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar bounced back from his rough outing a few days back, earning the save on Friday with a perfect 9th inning.  Behind him, it’s been mostly Yoervis Medina getting the 8th inning as of late, with Charlie Furbush contributing holds here and there.  Oliver Perez isn’t out of the conversation for saves on nights when Farquhar is unavailable, but Medina and Furbush, who combined to get through the 8th on Friday, have been more consistent as of late.  Hierarchy change: Yoervis Medina to Set-up, Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line.

August 15, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Danny Farquhar had a nightmare ninth inning on Wednesday, falling a home run short of yielding the cycle, all without retiring a single batter. It was his first blown save as Seattle’s closer, though, and he should have some more leeway before he approaches the Hot SeatNo hierarchy change.

August 7, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Tom Wilhelmsen was sent down to AAA Tacoma on Tuesday, and should no longer be considered the favorite to close in Seattle next season. No hierarchy change.

August 6, 2013
Seattle Mariners — A triceps injury will shut down Stephen Pryor for the remainder of the year. No hierarchy change.

August 4, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar pitched a 1-2-3 inning on Sunday for his second straight save and looks to be the new closer for the Mariners.  Hierarchy change: Danny Farquhar to Closer, Oliver Perez to Set-up.

August 4, 2013
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners got their first save opportunity since Robby Thompson announced he would be going to a closer-by-committee.  Charlie Furbush was the first guy out of the pen as he came on in the 7th inning.  Furbush immediately allowed two inherited runners to score but finished the 7th and got the first 2 outs of the 8th.  Danny Farquhar came on to face righty Adam Jones and got him to fly out to end the 8th.  The Mariners added 2 more runs in the top of the 9th to make it a 4 run lead.  Farquhar stayed on and finished the game for his first save of the season.  Farquhar’s season ERA is over 5 but he has an incredible 52 ks in 34.1 innings.  He also has given up just one hit and no walks while racking up 11 strikeouts in his last 6 1/3 innings.  If Farquhar continues to bring that ERA down, he might take over as the primary closer for the Mariners.  Hierarchy change: Danny Farquhar to Set-up, Yoervis Medina to 2nd in line.

August 2, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Prior to Friday’s game, Robby Thompson said that he’d go to a closer-by-committee, mentioning lefties Charlie Furbush and Oliver Perez, and righties Yoervis Medina and Danny Farquhar.  Friday’s game offered no clues into who gets first crack, as the Mariners lost and used only Brandon Maurer in relief, but over the last several weeks, Furbush has been, unquestionably, the 8th inning guy.  The set-up man doesn’t always ascend to the role, though, and Perez and Medina are the relievers who have gotten odd save opps earlier this season; they could jump him in the hierarchy as a result, particularly since Thompson is an interim manager, and may not want to give someone new (Furbush) a chance.  Farquhar, meanwhile, has been brilliant lately, but we rank him fourth among the potential options in Seattle.  Hierarchy change: Oliver Perez to Closer, Yoervis Medina to Set-up, Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line.  

August 2, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen led the Seattle bullpen to one of the most epic collapses of the season thus far, as he, Oliver Perez, and Yoervis Medina combined to allow six runs in the 9th inning in an 8-7 loss to the Red Sox.  The three relievers combined to retire only one hitter in the walkoff loss.  Wilhelmsen allowed four baserunners without recording an out, and then after a bizarre sequence that saw interim manager Robby Thompson summon the wrong reliever by accident, Perez and Medina wrapped up the futility clinic by combining to allow four more hits and a walk.  The only real beneficiary here was Charlie Furbush, who had an stellar-by-comparison 8th inning, where he allowed just one run on a hit and a walk.  Wilhelmsen, whose ratios have been terrible all year (47.1 IP, 35 Ks, 26 BBs), won’t hold on to his job with another outing or two like this.  Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to Set-up, Oliver Perez to 2nd in line.  Tom Wilhelmsen to Hot Seat.

July 29, 2013
Seattle Mariners – The Seattle bullpen is one of the hardest in the league to make sense of, as seemingly every reliever down there has gotten an 8th inning hold over the past month.  Yesterday, it was Danny Farquhar’s turn, as the young righty turned in an exceptional performance, striking out 5 hitters over 2 innings of work before giving way to Tom Wilhelmsen.  Farquhar’s numbers are ugly; he’s got a 6.00 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  However, in just 30 innings of work since being called up in mid-May, he’s also got 46(!) strikeouts, which is almost identical to the K/9 rate that Craig Kimbrel is rocking this year.  Farquhar obviously has a live arm, and when he’s on, like last night, he’s virtually unhittable.  If he can string together a few more good outings, he’ll become an intriguing late-inning option in Seattle.  No hierarchy change.

July 23, 2013
Seattle Mariners – On Monday, Charlie Furbush got his third consecutive 8th inning hold and now has a 1.74 ERA in July.  The Mariners might be preparing for life after Oliver Perez, who is a candidate to move at the trade deadline, and Furbush now seems the best candidate to inherit the set-up role if and when the veteran lefty gets moved.  Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line, replacing Yoervis Medina.

July 17, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Oliver Perez and Charlie Furbush are both attractive trade bait; Perez’s save chances are likely to drop off dramatically if (and when) he’s moved. Yoervis Medina could benefit as a result. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: BUY Yoervis Medina, SELL+ Oliver Perez.

July 15, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush pitched the 8th inning ahead of Tom Wilhelmsen last night, marking the third time out of his last five appearances that he picked up an 8th inning hold.  Seattle bullpen usage has been hard to figure out since the return of Tom Wilhelmsen.  Oliver Perez got a save as recently as 10 days ago, while Yoervis Medina has been better than almost anyone, though recently, he’s generally been pitching the 9th when the M’s have a lead in a non-save situations.  If there’s actually a suitor for Tom Wilhelmsen at the trade deadline (which seems unlikely at this point), then Furbush’s high strikeout rates will throw him in to the mix for Seattle saves along with Perez and Medina.  No hierarchy change.

July 12, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen has had two rough outings in a row, giving up two runs in a blowout on Wednesday and taking an extra-inning loss on Thursday.  He hasn’t done much to seize back the closer role since being re-appointed earlier this month.  Tom Wilhelmsen to Hot Seat.

July 6, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Oliver Perez struck out the side to pick up the save on Friday night.  Tom Wilhelmsen is still the closer as he was warming in the bullpen to come in if there was any trouble.  However, Oliver Perez has pitched extremely well this year and could see some more save opportunities based on match-ups.  Hierarchy change: Oliver Perez to Set-up, Yoervis Medina to 2nd in line.

July 3, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen picked up a 10th inning save on Wednesday and should resume closing immediately.  Eric Wedge said that he used Wilhelmsen because he liked the match-up so he did not necessarily come out and name him the closer.  However it is clear that the Mariners bullpen is at his best with Wilhelmsen in the closer role so expect him to see the majority of the save opportunities moving forward.   Hierarchy change: Tom Wilhelmsen to Closer, Oliver Perez to 2nd in line.

July 3, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Eric Wedge said prior to Tuesday’s game that Tom Wilhelmsen was close to regaining his closer status, and that the righty would be given another outing or two in a set-up role, and if those go well, he’d return to his old job (Mariners closer, that is, not bartender).  Wilhelmsen pitched the 9th last night in a 7-run game, throwing a clean inning, and seems to be, at most, one more decent outing away from returning to the role.  It’s sad news for owners of Oliver Perez and Yoervis Medina, who over the past three weeks have picked up a whopping one save each.  No hierarchy change.

June 23, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Yoervis Medina picked up the win last night night while working 2.1 scoreless innings.  He got the last out of the 7th inning and then pitched the 8th inning of a tie game.  The Mariners took the lead in the bottom of the 8th and Medina stayed on to finish the game.  Oliver Perez still has the best numbers in the Mariners bullpen but Medina showed last night that he is also capable of preserving a 9th inning lead.   Hierarchy change: Yoervis Medina to Set-up, Tom Wilhelmsen to 2nd in line.

June 19, 2013
Seattle Mariners — After Eric Wedge used Oliver Perez with a one-run lead in the 7th inning, Tom Wilhelmsen came out for the eighth and immediately surrendered a tying home run to Albert Pujols. When the M’s took the lead back in the top of the 10th, Wedge was able to stick to his original plan of using Yoervis Medina to get the save. No hierarchy change.

June 18, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Carter Capps was summoned in the sixth inning with the Mariners trailing by two. By the time he and Charlie Furbush were done spinning their craft, Seattle was down by nine. Eric Wedge has consistently said that Tom Wilhelmsen’s “mental break” from closing will be short-lived; add that to Monday’s debacle and Wedge’s use of Yoervis Medina in the ninth on Saturday, and you have a recipe for wholesale changes in the Seattle pen. Hierarchy change: Tom Wilhelmsen to Set-up, Yoervis Medina to 2nd in line.

June 15, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Eric Wedge said before Friday’s game that he would give Tom Wilhelmsen some time off from closing.  Oliver Perez was the first reliever to get a save chance in his place (which was a bit of a surprise given his 1.32 WHIP), but the lefty converted, and stands to be in a closer-by-committee with Carter Capps and Charlie Furbush until Wilhelmsen rights his ship.  Wedge’s comments make it sound as if Wilhelmsen will get the job back if he can turn it around, so we recommend hanging on to him for the time being.  Hierarchy change: Oliver Perez to Closer, replacing Tom Wilhelmsen.

June 13, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen blew a save in spectacular fashion on Wednesday night, and Eric Wedge didn’t sound like a man enamored with his stopper.  “We have to talk about it,” he said. “Obviously, you want to do what’s best for the ball club and Tom, too. … Tom Wilhelmsen is still our closer standing here right now.”  Wilhelmsen has now blown four of his last nine save chances.  Carter Capps would be the first choice to replace him if he slips any further.  Tom Wilhelmsen to Hot Seat.

June 4, 2013
Seattle Mariners — Tom Wilhelmsen gave up a run, but managed to collect the save on Monday night. Further down the bullpen, Yoervis Medina’s usage is worth monitoring; he retired all five men he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. No hierarchy change.

June 2, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen blew his third save in four chances on Sunday, walking the bases loaded and then allowing a walk-off triple.  Eric Wedge didn’t say anything ominous about Wilhelmsen’s job security after the game, saying that closers go through rough spots throughout the season, but should Wilhelmsen blow another save or two, Wedge will have to start considering 8th inning man Carter Capps instead.  Also in the conversation is Charlie Furbush, whose high strikeout totals (31 Ks in 23 innings) probably make him a better 9th inning candidate than Oliver Perez.  Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line, replacing Oliver Perez.  Tom Wilhelmsen to Hot Seat.

May 16, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Oliver Perez pitched the 8th inning ahead of Tom Wilhelmsen last night, marking the second time in the past week he’s been used in that spot.  Perez, who has a 1.17 ERA, has been the most reliable lefty in the Seattle bullpen all year and has surpassed the erratic Charlie Furbush on the depth chart.  Hierarchy change: Oliver Perez to 2nd in line, replacing Charlie Furbush.

April 27, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush is showing his potential this season, racking up strikeouts at an impressive rate (14 in just 8 innings so far), but he’s also been a bit wild, having walked nearly a batter per inning.  He isn’t seeing many high-leverage situations as of late — he pitched in the 7th inning of a game the Mariners were losing last night — while Carter Capps has picked up two 8th inning holds in Stephen Pryor’s absence.  Hierarchy change: Carter Capps to Set-up, Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line.

April 19, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Stephen Pryor hit the disabled list earlier this week, so last night, it was Carter Capps who bridged the gap to Tom Wilhelmsen.  Capps threw 2 scoreless innings and picked up the win, and could share 8th inning duties with Charlie Furbush until Pryor’s return.  Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to Set-up, Carter Capps to 2nd in line, Stephen Pryor to DL.

February 24, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Starting 2013 hierarchy: Closer- Tom Wilhelmsen, Set-up- Stephen Pryor, 2nd in line- Charlie Furbush.

September 27, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Stephen Pryor pitched the final 1.1 innings for the Mariners on Wednesday, and was saddled with the loss when Torii Hunter drove in the game winning run in the 9th. But despite the rough outing, Pryor has been stellar as of late, and has been repeatedly trusted in late-inning spots. Hierarchy change: Stephen Pryor to 2nd in line, replacing Charlie Furbush.

September 23, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Josh Kinney pitched the 8th inning ahead of Tom Wilhelmsen on Saturday. Charlie Furbush, one of the most consistent relievers in the Seattle bullpen earlier this year, hasn’t seen much action as of late. Hierarchy change: Josh Kinney to Set-up, Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line.

September 3, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Josh Kinney picked up the last two outs of the 8th in a 2 run game. While Luetge has been impressive, his role is more of a high leverage lefty specialist. If both Wilhelmsen and Furbush were unavailable, its likely that the 9th inning duties would fall to the right handed Kinney. Hierarchy change: Josh Kinney to 2nd in line, replacing Lucas Luetge.

August 22, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Lucas Luetge got out of a jam in the 8th inning on Tuesday, then stayed on for the 9th in a four-run game. Luetge earned his 2nd save of the season because there were several runners on when he was summoned in the 8th– Tom Wilhelmsen’s job remains extremely safe. No hierarchy change.

August 21, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush, who came off the DL last week, pitched the 7th inning in a tie game on Monday, then stayed on for the 8th after the Mariners took the lead. Seattle has struggled to find a consistent 8th inning man ahead of Tom Wilhelmsen, but Furbush could become that guy. When healthy, he’s been very solid, posting a 2.03 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to Set-up, Lucas Luetge to 2nd in line.

August 20, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Josh Kinney picked up a 2.1 inning save on Sunday. He finished off the 7th inning in a one-run game, then stayed on for the last two innings after the Mariners scored three more runs. Kinney does not factor in to Seattle’s usual late-inning plans. No hierarchy change.

August 15, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Stephen Pryor pitched a clean 1.2 innings last night, earning the win when the Mariners walked off against Fernando Rodney. The young righty has only allowed 1 run in 10 appearances this season (0.84 ERA) and has 15 Ks and only 3 BBs. Hierarchy change: Stephen Pryor to 2nd in line, replacing Josh Kinney.

July 31, 2012
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners traded set-up man Brandon League to the Dodgers early Tuesday morning. Lucas Luetge and Josh Kinney will now share 8th inning duties. With Tom Wilhelmsen getting a night off last night (his wife was expecting a child), Kinney and Luetge combined to get through the 9th inning, with Luetge picking up the one-out save. Hierarchy change: Lucas Luetge to Set-up, Josh Kinney to 2nd in line.

July 19, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush was placed on the DL yesterday with a strained triceps. Lefthander Lucas Luetge (1.46 ERA) will move into Furbush’s late-inning role. Hierarchy change: Lucas Luetge to 2nd in line, Charlie Furbush to DL.

July 13, 2012
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners are actively shopping Brandon League, but Tom Wilhelmsen’s name hasn’t surfaced in any reported trade talks thus far. Like most closers for bottom feeders, Wilhelmsen’s value will either drop sharply (if he’s traded to a team that uses him in the 8th inning) or rise slightly (if he’s able to close for a contender), making him a somewhat scary fantasy proposition. If League is dealt, his value will probably drop or remain the same, but it could skyrocket if he remains and Wilhelmsen is shipped off. A deep sleeper for saves is Charlie Furbush, who has only given up 2 runs in his last 23.2 innings and could inherit the job if the Mariners are able to move both Wilhelmsen and League. TRADE DEADLINE BUY: Brandon League, Charlie Furbush. SELL: Tom Wilhelmsen.

June 11, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Before Sunday’s game, Eric Wedge said that he’d likely put Brandon League back in the closer role “sooner rather than later.” Tom Wilhelmsen has performed well in the role since League’s demotion– and League got knocked around a bit on Sunday– but it sounds as if Wilhelmsen will inevitably move back to a set-up role once Wedge reinstalls his former closer. Tom Wilhelmsen to Hot Seat.

June 3, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Hisashi Iwakuma recorded the save on Saturday, and has picked up two saves in his last two outings. However, his save on May 30th was of the 3-inning variety in a 21-8 win over the Texas Rangers, and his save yesterday was in the 12th inning after Seattle had used most of their other relievers. Brandon League and Charlie Furbush were both used before the 9th inning, and Tom Wilhelmsen pitched 3 scoreless in picking up the win. No hierarchy change.

May 27, 2012
Seattle Mariners — Brandon League has been removed as closer, in a move manager Eric Wedge described as “very similar to what we did last year.” In 2011, League was demoted after becoming the first reliever in Mariners history to lose in four straight appearances, but regained his job only five days later, and wound up in the All-Star Game. Wedge refused to commit to anyone as League’s replacement; Tom Wilhelmsen seems to be the most obvious candidate, but lefties Lucas Luetge and Charlie Furbush could be in the mix as well. Hierarchy change: Tom Wilhelmsen to Closer, Brandon League to Set-Up.

May 21, 2012
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners summoned Charlie Furbush in the 7th inning on Sunday, whereupon he pitched a clean inning with 2 Ks. The lefty, a former starting pitcher, has shown the ability to pitch out of the bullpen to both lefties and righties. Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to 2nd in line, replacing Steve Delabar.

May 18, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Brandon League blew his third save of the season on Thursday. While his ERA remains at a respectable 3.12, his peripherals (1.44 WHIP, 10 Ks, 10 BBs) are troubling, and the Mariners could look elsewhere if League’s struggles continue. Brandon League to Hot Seat.

April 25, 2012
Seattle Mariners – Steve Delabar pitched the 7th with a 2 run lead last night and has been used more often than Lucas Luetge. Hierarchy change: Steve Delabar to 2nd in line, replacing Lucas Luetge.

April 15, 2012
Seattle Mariners – George Sherrill was placed on the disabled list yesterday with elbow soreness. Lefthander Lucas Luetge, reliable in three outings so far, moves up on the depth chart. Hierarchy change: Lucas Luetge to 2nd in line, replacing George Sherrill.

March 24, 2012
Seattle Mariners- Brandon League will be the closer, with Tom Wilhelmsen returning as the setup man for now. Seattle also brought in George Sherrill as a possible 7th-inning reliever. Starting 2012 hierarchy: Closer- Brandon League, Set-up- Tom Wilhelmsen, 2nd in line- George Sherrill.

Sept. 22, 2011
Seattle Mariners- Tom Wilhelmsen has supplanted Jamey Wright as the Mariners primary set-up man. He’s pitched the 8th inning each of the last two nights, each time setting up a Brandon League save. Hierarchy change: Tom Wilhelmsen to Set-up, Jamey Wright to 2nd in line.

Aug. 22, 2011
Seattle Mariners- Jason Gray has been pitching in a number of late game scenarios over the past several weeks, and the Mariners will likely look to him even more now that Laffey is gone. Hierarchy change: Gray to 2nd in line, replacing Laffey.