The Seattle Mariners went through MLB winter meetings without making a significant move but the moves the team has already made will play a significant role on performance in 2026.

Seattle signed first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract in November. That move was a no-brainer for the M's. Naylor was one of the team's best performers after he was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24.

The Mariners also bolstered their bullpen and acquired left-handed reliever Jose Ferrer in a trade with the Washington Nationals on Dec. 6.

The trade gave some fans and analysts pause due to the return (top 100 prospect Harry Ford) and Ferrer's poor surface numbers (4.48 ERA in 72 appearances in 2025).

But Ferrer's underlying numbers and stuff, including his elite ground ball rate and the high swing-and-miss of his off-speed offerings, lends itself to a belief that there is a lot of untapped potential when it comes to him.

In a recent episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast, Roundtable Sports' own Brady Farkas spoke with Pitcher List's Rick Graham to talk about Ferrer and what he brings to Seattle's bullpen.

"I think, you combine (Ferrer) with Gabe Speier, those two lefties, I don't know if there's a bullpen in baseball right now that has that type of dominance from two lefties in their bullpen at the same time," Graham said on the podcast. "Ferrer, a little bit different than Speier. He throws harder, he throws 99 (mph), big sinker baller. He threw his sinker about 75% of the time last year in Washington. What I was excited for with him this year is there was a new pitching group there. There was a whole new coaching staff in Washington. So I was looking forward to seeing Ferrer throw his off-speed stuff a little more. Maybe get more swing-and-miss, get some more strikeouts. But the sinker's really good. Left-handed, 99 (mph), gets a lot of ground balls. If that changeup and slider develop, too, think (prime Jose Alvarado)-type left-handed options in your bullpen. Pairing him with Speier behind (Matt Brash) and (Andres Munoz), as well, that's a really dominant bullpen developing in Seattle."

If the Mariners are able to unlock Ferrer's potential, they could have one of the most dangerous group of high-leverage relievers in the American League alongside Speier, Brash, Munoz and Eduard Bazardo. It could also allow Seattle to have matchup versatility by having another capable left-handed reliever in late-inning situations.

More Mariners stories

Seattle Mariners Have Reportedly Been Reached Out to by Alex Bregman's Agent

Seattle Mariners Take Pair of Players in Minor League Portion of Rule 5 Draft

Former Seattle Mariners Star James Paxton Could Not Be Done Pitching Just Yet

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!