A breakdown of the reliever market

[Seattle or Bust]

These are all players that are either pure rentals or have short term control (late arb eligible or one year left on their deals). These are players who are on teams that look likely to sell. I am also excluding relievers from HOU, LAA, and OAK.

The Elite:

Luke Weaver, NYM: 2.00 ERA 2.50 FIP, 1.1 fWAR - Owed about $3M in final 2 months. Owed $12.5M in '27. Not sure the M's love that guaranteed $$ for '27.

Aroldis Chapman, BOS: 2.10 ERA, 2.06 FIP, 1.0 fWAR - Unlikely given the domestic abuse stuff from the past. Owed about $5M for final 2 months. F/A in '27.

Antonio Senzatela, COL: 3.00 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.0 fWAR - Owed about $4M in final 2 months. Option for $14M club option in '27. Likely IMO.

Huascar Brazoban, NYM: 1.30 ERA, 2.47 ERA, 0.9 fWAR - Mets are sellers, could try to take advantage of selling him high. He's 36 years old... but having breakout year. Throws 96-98 with an elite change up. Cheap and controlled.

Garrett Whitlock, BOS: 2.57 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 0.8 fWAR - Friendly contract with 2x "cheap" club options in '27, '28. Would be expensive but perhaps worth it.

The cheap but good:

Brennan Bernadino, COL: 2.67 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 0.7 fWAR - Arb controlled but old (34) former Mariner. Shouldn't cost too much.

Tyler Wells BAL: 3.02 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 0.7 fWAR - Cheap $$ in '26, final year of arb in '27. Been solid the last 2 years. Combine him in a Ward trade?

Daniel Lynch, KCR: 2.57 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 0.6 fWAR - Arb controlled through '28 with cheap $$ in '26. Been real solid the last 3 years.

Jonathan Loaisiga, AZl: 2.36 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 0.6 fWAR - Cheap $$, free agent in '27. If Arizona continues to fall out, seems very realistic.

Yennier Cano, BAL: 2.48 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 0.5 fWAR - Cheap $$, arb controlled through '28, older. Combine him in a Ward trade?

Graham Ashcraft, CIN: 3.33 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 0.4 fWAR - Cheap $$, arb controlled through '28, do the Reds want to offload cheap bullpen arms when their pen is bad?

Kevin Ginkel, AZ: 2.97 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 0.3 fWAR - Cheap $$, free agent in '27. Real bad in '25 but solid from '22-'24 and in '26. M's and Dbacks link up again?

Ryan Thompson, AZ: 3.26 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 0.3 fWAR - Cheapish $$, free agent in '27. Same as the other AZ relievers. Has never had an ERA above 4.00.

Brock Burke, CIN: 3.07 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 0.3 fWAR - Cheapish $$, free agent in '27. The metrics hate him.

Taylor Clarke, AZ: 2.11 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 0.2 fWAR - Cheap $$, free agent in '27. Has been very good the last 2 years.

Bounce back guys:

Will Vest, DET: 6.08 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 0.3 fWAR - Cheapish $$, final year of arb in '27. He's been bad, but the metrics love him.

Kyle Finnegan, DET: 2.23 ERA, 4.72 FIP, -0.2 fWAR - Owed about $2.5M for final 2 months, $8M in '27, then mutual option in '28. ERA is good but he's walked 25 batters to 31 K's which is why Fangraphs hates him.

Lucas Ecreg, KCR: 5.35 ERA, 4.85 FIP, -0.1 fWAR - Not sure what happened to him. He was one of the better relievers in baseball from '24-'25. A change of scenery could be in order. He's cheap and arb controlled.

Jimmy Herget, COL: 3.86 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 0.5 fWAR - He got hurt in May so has low innings pitched. Hurled 2.48 ERA seasons in '22 and '25. Cheap $$, final year of arb in '27.

[Big_Maple]

This was super helpful - thanks for putting it together, SoB.

We definitely need help in the pen. I’d say replace Munoz as our closer and move him to a setup role. Then we need one more flamethrower to replace Rucker.

Dunno who, off this list, the M’s will take a run at. I don’t think Chapman is in their plans, even if he’s available.

[Seattle or Bust]

This was super helpful - thanks for putting it together, SoB.

We definitely need help in the pen. I’d say replace Munoz as our closer and move him to a setup role. Then we need one more flamethrower to replace Rucker.

Dunno who, off this list, the M’s will take a run at. I don’t think Chapman is in their plans, even if he’s available.

For a splash... give me Brazoban. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEPjUolRcb0

For a flier... give me Ecreg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlNa7On5rQI

Shouldn't cost the moon. High, high ceilings.

Since 6/15... Munoz has a 0.00 ERA, 1.54 FIP. I think since he's found 102 again... he's probably figured it out.

[Captain 97]

Don't know that I'd Call Senzatela elite. He has and ERA over 7 over the last month. He has given up runs in 6 of his last 11 outings including a 3 spot and a 4 spot. He had a couple of lights out months at the beginning of the season but their is zero long term track record.

[Millikin]

I'm not going to be the one to do this, because I'm a man who craves leisure, but I'd like to see a rundown of how much relief pitchers have improved (or not) after coming to Seattle.

Eye test alone it seems like, for years now, mediocre nobodies have arrived and were pretty quickly made into decent-enough or better relievers.

If the anecdotes of my memory are correct, they don't need to bring in the absolute best available relief pitchers, just the ones they think they can (quickly) mold into good relievers.

[Seattle or Bust]

I'm not going to be the one to do this, because I'm a man who craves leisure, but I'd like to see a rundown of how much relief pitchers have improved (or not) after coming to Seattle.

Eye test alone it seems like, for years now, mediocre nobodies have arrived and were pretty quickly made into decent-enough or better relievers.

If the anecdotes of my memory are correct, they don't need to bring in the absolute best available relief pitchers, just the ones they think they can (quickly) mold into good relievers.

That hasn't been their deadline strategy when they've been competitive of late.

They've tended to go after more established pitchers who are pure rentals that are pitching well.

Yimi Garcia, JT Chargois and Caleb Ferguson were the pitchers they acquired in '24 and '25.

In '23 they traded for Bazardo and Thornton after they were DFA'd and traded for Trevor Gott.

Bazardo worked out, but not until the next year. Thornton and Gott did not work out.