The most volatile unit on the 2025 Seattle Mariners was the bullpen.

The Mariners relievers went through injuries, minor league arms, trade acquisitions, rookie debuts and more in 2025, which led to a volatile bullpen for most of the season.

One of the few consistencies for Seattle's bullpen was All-Star closer Andres Munoz.

Munoz wasn't just the main answer for the Mariners in close games in the ninth inning, he was the only answer. If he was up and the M's had the lead, the ball would go to Munoz.

If it weren't for the season Aroldis Chapman had with the Boston Red Sox, Munoz would have a legitimate argument as the best closer in baseball. Munoz was named second-team All-MLB on Thursday.

Here's the final grades on the flame-throwing right-hander:

Andres Munoz by the numbers

Games played: 64

Pitching stats: 1.73 ERA, 3-3 Record, 38 Saves/45 SVO, 62.1 IP, 83 SOs, 1.03 WHIP, .167 Opp. BA.

What I liked

Munoz was already in the upper echelon of closers entering this season. He made his first All-Star game in 2024 with a 2.12 ERA, 22 saves and 77 strikeouts across 59.1 innings pitched in 60 appearances.

Munoz improved on nearly every metric this season. He had a 1.73 ERA and fanned 83 batters in 62.1 innings across 64 outings. He had 38 saves in 45 opportunities. He went two months without allowing an earned run and gave up his first against the Minnesota Twins on May 30.

His average fastball velocity (98.2 mph) was among the best in the majors (96th percentile, per Baseball Savant.)

Munoz's strikeout rate (32.7%) ranked in the 96th percentile in the major leagues. He was able to achieve that impressive mark with a slider that had a whiff rate of 51% and a put-away rate of 30.8%. Opponents averaged .109 against his slider.

Best games

It's hard to pick a standout game for Munoz because he was so consistently excellent and his role on the team had very little variation.

Munoz, for better or worse, is the Mariners' closer. He came in the ninth inning to put away close games, and manager Dan Wilson seldom deviated from that.

In the regular season, Munoz was tasked with getting a rare four-out save against the San Diego Padres on May 17. In 1.1 innings, Munoz didn't allow a runner to reach base and struck out one batter. Seattle won 4-1 in Game 2 of a three-game series the M's ultimately swept.

Munoz appeared in seven of the team's 12 playoff games this postseason, and had to go multiple innings in his first outing.

In a 4-3, 11-inning loss against the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series on Oct. 4, Munoz pitched two innings and didn't allow a runner to reach base. He struck out two.

Future prospects

As part of Munoz's contract, the Mariners have three consecutive seasons of club options they could exercise from 2026-28. The option for '26 was $7 million, the option for '27 is $8 million and the option for '28 is $10 million.

Seattle wisely picked up Munoz's $7 million club option for 2026, and there's no reason why the club wouldn't continue to do that the following two years after.

Reliever of the Year-level arms don't grow on trees and Munoz will be 29-years-old by the end of his contract, assuming the Mariners pick up all three options.

Barring an injury or a massive regression, there's no reason why Seattle shouldn't keep Munoz around through 2028 and even if he does take steps back, the Mariners can alleviate his burden by rotating through other high-leverage arms in the closer role.

On top of having one of the best starting rotations in baseball (when healthy), Seattle also has one of the best closers in Munoz. There's no reason to disrupt that.

Final grades: A+

Aside from All-Star, Silver Slugger-winning and American League MVP finalist Cal Raleigh, there's an argument to be had that nobody on their team fulfilled their role better in 2025 than Munoz.

As mentioned before, if it weren't for Chapman, Munoz would've been almost guaranteed the AL Reliever of the Year award. Even expanding into the National League, there weren't many relievers that could compare to the two-time All-Star.

There was a lot more responsibility on Munoz, especially early in the season, to close out wins. Four-of-five pitchers on the starting rotation missed time with injuries this year. Three landed on the IL before Munoz gave up an earned run.

With the bullpen in turmoil and the starting rotation in shambles, Seattle needed consistency and excellence from Munoz. Which is exactly what the club got.

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