How the Mariners Bullpen is Shaping Up in Spring Training

Now that we have a full two weeks of spring training under our belts and many of our players are playing in the WBC, we’re starting to get a better idea of how the roster will shape up for opening day. As expected, with many of the biggest contributors away playing on the international stage, unexpected names have had the chance to show us what they’ve got. And while there aren’t a ton of questions on how the offensive spots will play out at this point, there is one part of the roster that is still taking shape: the Mariners bullpen.

Coming into spring training, most people seemed to think that there were two spots open in the bullpen that needed filling. At this point, the best guess as to locked-in bullpen arms for 2026 is Andres Munoz as our closer, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier, and Jose Ferrer as our high-leverage relievers, and Eduard Bazardo and Carlos Vargas as middle-leverage relievers. If there are two spots left to be addressed, they will likely come in the form of mid-leverage or long-reliever roles.

Throughout spring training, we’ve seen a ton of different pitchers hit the mound and show their stuff. As we approach the last week of spring training, players are beginning to move from the Cactus League into spots in the farm system. Even today, several pitchers were reassigned either to Triple-A Tacoma or minor league camp. I’d love to say that I feel fully confident in who will take those final spots in the bullpen based on what we’ve seen so far, but that would be disingenuous. There are so many guys vying for those roster spots, and all I can really do is speculate.

That said, I want to talk about a few of the guys who have kept my attention so far. I’m not saying that I think these four guys are going to make the opening day roster, but I do think they are ones to watch either for their contribution so far in spring training, or for their history with the M’s in 2025. How the remaining spots will take shape in the bullpen remains to be seen, but these guys have had many of us keeping tabs to see if they have what it takes to join the club in 2026.

From the beginning of spring training, one of the biggest names that we at Up West have had our eyes on is Cooper Criswell. I’ve talked about him a great deal myself, both here in written form, on the podcast, and in game recaps. He has, for all intents and purposes, done everything that the Mariners hoped he would when they acquired him in January from the Mets. However, with the news that Bryce Miller’s oblique injury is likely to land him off the roster for opening day and require someone to take his place in the rotation for a time, this begs the question: Is Criswell your long reliever, or is he your fill-in starter #5? Kyle and I talked about this on Thursday’s Hold My Trident episode, and while I think it’s more likely that Emerson Hancock will take that depth starter role at the beginning of the season based on his history with the M’s in that role and how he’s performed so far this spring, there is the potential for Criswell to take that spot simply because he has no minor league options, which could force the M’s hand if they don’t want to risk losing him. If they decide he isn’t a good fit for the bullpen (which I think is unlikely), they would have to designate him for assignment and hope he would clear waivers before having the option of sending him to Tacoma. 

Another guy that has been fun to keep an eye on throughout spring training is Yosver Zulueta. Zulueta was another early winter acquisition for the Mariners, this time from the Reds. We’ve had a smaller sample size of his abilities in spring training, but what we’ve seen so far has been predominantly positive. He has pitched one inning in each of five games, all without giving up a single run. Over those innings, he has had eight strikeouts, given up two walks, all with an opponent batting average of .118. Again, this is an extremely small sample size, but Zulueta has been arguably one of the most consistent reliever arms in spring training for the M’s. 

While there are new names working to make the roster, a familiar face hopes to make his way back into the Mariners’ bullpen in 2026. Casey Legumina, who had an up-and-down season with the M’s in 2025, is another frontrunner for one of those reliever spots. Casey, who was up with the Mariners for most of the 2025 season with a few stints in Tacoma, sported a 4-6 record with a 5.62 ERA in the regular season. So far in spring training, Casey has performed similarly, but having history in the bullpen and familiarity with the team goes a long way toward earning a spot on the roster. That said, if he hopes to make an impact with the team in 2026, there are certainly some things he will need to clean up to be successful. 

Finally, I want to mention Cole Wilcox. If I’m being honest, he is one that I didn’t know much about before this year’s spring training. That said, with a similar sample size to Zulueta, Cole has been effective thus far in the Cactus League. With a 3.38 ERA over 5.1 innings pitched, Cole has had seven strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.94. Cole caught my eye as a 26-year-old who has hopped around several minor league organizations before arriving here with the M’s in November via a trade with the Rays. While I think it’s a long shot for Cole to see time in Seattle this year, his spring training performance has garnered him a good bit of attention. 

With just one week and eight games left in spring training, the final spots in the bullpen should become clearer soon. At the time of this article’s publication, we are twelve days away from opening day, and I am hopeful that our bullpen will be well-prepared to help us win games in 2026. As more roster moves take place over the coming days, we should get a good idea of the direction the M’s are going to go.