Over the weekend, Seattle Mariners young pitchers Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan impressed in their first live bullpens at spring training.

Anderson struck out a trio of big leaguers, while Sloan made Randy Arozarena look silly on a wipeout slider. He reportedly hit 99 miles an hour with his four-seam fastball.

If the top story at M's spring training is the development of the young infielders (Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Michael Arroyo), then the No. 2 story is the development and growth of these young pitchers. How they grow and develop over the course of the season is important to the organization in the now, but it also has a huge impact on the future, as we discussed on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast.

"The thing that is most important to watch is how they look in 2026 and how they develop and how healthy they are. It has a major, major kind of dictation of what the future of the organization looks like. Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo are both free agents at the end of '27.

Okay, they're both free agents at the end of 2027. Are the Mariners ready to just let both of those players walk in free agency and then just replace them with Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan? It's possible. Are they prepared to trade Logan Gilbert heading into the final year of his contract in 2027 the way that the Brewers just traded Freddy Peralta? Are they ready to trade Logan Gilbert a year early because they think that Kade Anderson is ready to take his place as early as next year? It's possible. Are they ready to trade Luis Castillo for the same reason? It's possible.

How these guys look is incredibly important because it dictates future decisions. If both Anderson and Sloan end up injured and miss a portion of the year, then they're probably not ready, or Anderson's not ready to pitch on Opening Day 2027. You probably can't trade Logan Gilbert or Luis Castillo. If Ryan Sloan is injured and misses substantial time, he might not be ready to take over on Opening Day 2028, so maybe you're more inclined to try to give Logan Gilbert an extension because you think you need that starting spot solidified because Sloan can't take it."

Both players are ranked as universal Top 100 prospects across the board and both players have bright futures with the Mariners. It's just a question of when that future starts.

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