As was noted by Adam Jude of the Seattle Times on Saturday, and as was written by our own Teren Kowatsch on Sunday, the Seattle Mariners have about $30 million to spend this offseason.

Seattle Mariners Will Have More Money to Work With This Offseason Than Previous Years The Mariners will reportedly have $30 million to spend in the offseason

On the surface, that seems like enough to bring back both Josh Naylor and then one of Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco, but it doesn't seem like enough to bring back those pieces AND make significant upgrades to the bullpen, which is another need for the organization.

Seattle operated with basically a bullpen crew of four players that they really trusted in 2025: Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier. Carlos Vargas was in the mix as well, but only appeared in one leverage spot in the playoffs (Game 1 of the ALDS).

The other spots were filled by a rotating group, but the M's would do well to upgrade those bottom three bullpen spots heading into 2026.

For starters, obviously, having a deeper and trustworthy bullpen just allows manager Dan Wilson to hold leads easier, which leads to more victories. It also means that if more bullpen arms are capable of working in leverage spots, Wilson has the freedom to rest Brash, Munoz, Speier and Bazardo more often. And after a deep run in the playoffs, those four certainly worked an extensive amount in 2025.

But if the M's don't have the money to go out and buy an impact reliever to help the cause, they'll have to hope that one of the answers emerges from within the system already. And there's where Troy Taylor and Gregory Santos come in.

Both of them were major letdowns in 2025, and one of them needs to step up and be part of the solution in 2026.

Santos

Acquired from the Chicago White Sox before the 2024 season, Santos has spent most of his two seasons in Seattle hurt. He's made just 16 total appearances, pitching to an ERA of 5.02. In 14.1 innings, he has only six strikeouts, which is unfathomable for a pitcher that throws almost 100 mph.

After a knee injury cost him most of this season, he did make six appearances at Triple-A Tacoma, but he had an ERA of 5.40 there as well.

Taylor

Just 24 years old, Taylor burst onto the scene late in 2024 season, pitching to a 3.72 ERA in 21 games. He struck out 25 batters in 19.1 innings that season, but an injury in spring training set him back in 2025 and he never got on track.

He made only eight appearances for the M's in the big leagues, registering an ERA of 12.15. His Triple-A numbers were rough as well, as he had a 6.85 ERA in 50 appearances with Tacoma.

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