The Seattle Mariners May Need to Trade For Another Starting Pitcher
On Monday night, the Seattle Mariners announced that they were placing right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller on the injured list with a right elbow issue, the same one that caused him to go on the the injured list earlier in the season.
As a result, they are re-calling Logan Evans from Triple-A Tacoma. He will make the start for the M's on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
And while Evans has been solid (3-1, 2.83 ERA), he's not a long-term answer for Seattle. See, he's already thrown nearly 65 innings this season between the majors and Triple-A. His career-high in innings is just 107. That means, the M's probably don't want to push him past 120 or 130 innings for the season and risk injury.
As a result, there's really two options in front of Seattle.
Logan Gilbert needs to come back and be Logan Gilbert
The M's righty has been on the injured since the end of May because of a Grade 1 flexor strain. He's completed two rehab starts at Triple-A Tacoma and is set to make a third this week. While it's no guarantee that he comes back, performs well, and stays healthy, it is the cleanest way to limit Evans's innings this season.
Gilbert is 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 30.1 major league innings. He was an All-Star in 2024.
Seattle could need to trade for another starter
Presuming the Mariners are able to stay in the playoff race and don't bottom out, they may need to acquire another starter. If Evans isn't a long-term answer, and Gilbert doesn't come back to his normal self, Seattle will need to acquire rotation depth. Andrew Heaney of the Pirates is an attractive option, and Zach Eflin of the Orioles should be available as well.
I discussed more of this on the Refuse to Lose podcast this Tuesday:
So Logan Evans is going to come up. Logan Evans has already thrown 65 innings this season. His professional high is 107. So he's an answer for now. He's not an answer forever. If this team is in it, Logan Evans is not carrying them to the finish line. They're going to need to go out and get a starting pitcher, and/or they need Logan Gilbert to come back and have no questions about his health.
You can listen to the full podcast in the player below:
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