The Seattle Mariners delivered a crucial injury update on Friday afternoon, announcing that right-hander Logan Evans is going to miss the entirety of the 2025 season because of a Tommy John procedure that was performed last Friday, Jan. 23.

Evans, 24, made 16 appearances for the M's in 2025, going 6-5 and helping keep the rotation afloat in the wake of injuries to Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby.

Entering 2026, he figured to be the first or second option for the Mariners in the rotation should they suffer additional injury attrition.

With him out of the mix, here are some of the questions facing the Mariners:

Hancock has served as a depth starter in each of the last two seasons, and he's been needed in that role. He transitioned to the bullpen at the end of 2025 and made the postseason roster as a reliever. I had really thought there was a good chance that he broke camp in the bullpen, but now there's a real discussion to be had.

Do the Mariners stash him in Triple-A as a starter again, or do they keep him as a bullpen arm, but need to develop additional options in the minors? And if they don't have him in the bullpen, who fills that space?

A right-hander who received 18 starts for the 2024 Boston Red Sox, Criswell was just acquired in a small trade with the New York Mets. He has that starting experience, but he's out of minor league options, meaning he's difficult to stash as minor league depth. Thus, perhaps Criswell becomes the long man in the bullpen and Hancock is the starter option in Triple-A.

Just signed to a minor league deal, Dunning is not on the 40-man roster. Therefore, the team doesn't have to worry about option status, but his spot in the organization just got a lot more important. He won 12 games for the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers.

Jurrangelo Cijtnje, a first-round pick in 2024, made just seven starts at Double-A last season. That said, he's barreling toward a big-league role at some point in 2026. While he won't be an option early, he absolutely could be an option past the midpoint of the season if the Mariners need another starter. This injury has opened up the door for him and likely vaulted him one spot up the depth chart.

Kade Anderson, the team's top pick in 2025, hasn't thrown a pitch in the minors yet, but if Trey Yesavage's 2025 run with the Toronto Blue Jays is any indication, anything is possible late in the season.

Credit where credit due: The guys at the Marine Layer Podcast brought this up and they are right. The Mariners have been engaged in trade talks for St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Brendan Donovan this offseason. The Cardinals have been interested in excess Mariners pitching.

But with Cijntje and Anderson bumping up the depth chart, do the M's really have the excess pitching to make this deal now?

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