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When the Seattle Mariners traded their closer Paul Sewald on July 31 to the Arizona Diamondbacks an obvious void needed to be filled. The move seemed to indicate that the Mariners trusted reliever Andres Munoz to take over in the ninth inning. However, in the time since the Sewald trade, he has been used in just half of the team’s save situations.
Munoz collected four saves over six games following the trade. Since August 8, though, he has only seen three more opportunities. Part of that is simply circumstance - the Mariners had a week where they won two games by five or more runs, then lost three straight. However, part of it may have to do with a shift in bullpen strategy as a result of some shaky performances by Munoz.
In the last week, fellow relievers Matt Brash, Tayler Saucedo, and Gabe Speier have combined to convert five saves, one short of the six Munoz has recorded in all of August. So, who is the closer for the Seattle Mariners? Let’s take a look at the candidates and see who will be likeliest to help out in the saves category as the 2023 fantasy baseball season winds down.
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The Heir Apparent
Munoz broke out in a big way in 2022, recording 96 strikeouts and logging a 2.49 ERA in 65 innings pitched. This led many to believe that in 2023 he would split closing duties with Paul Sewald, if not take the job outright. Unfortunately, Munoz was placed on the injured list on April 9, and by the time he was reinstated on June 6, Sewald had run away with the job. As a result, Munoz was stuck firmly in a setup role.
After Sewald was dealt it looked like Munoz would finally take over as the closer he was meant to be. Indeed, the young flamethrower stepped up and earned four saves in the week following the trade. Since then, though, Munoz has seen only three of the Mariners’ seven save chances, converting two. In his recent appearances against the Orioles and Royals, he was touched up for a total of five runs (four unearned), prompting manager Scott Servais to shake things up in subsequent games.
The Challenger
A former starting pitcher, Matt Brash's endurance might be why the Mariners are so comfortable calling him into action. So far this season he has made a league-leading 62 appearances. Such frequent appearances combined with his 14.6 K/9 have made him a surprisingly valuable asset to the few fantasy managers who have found him. In 2023, Brash has accumulated 9 wins, 88 strikeouts, and 16 holds, if you’re into that sort of thing. So far in August, he has been trusted with four save opportunities and converted three.
The Rest
In addition to Munoz and Brash, relievers Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier have also each earned one save for the Mariners in August. Saucedo’s chance came as a result of a blown save by Munoz, which opened the door for him to close out the game in extra innings. Speier’s chance came at the end of a bullpen game after Brash and Munoz had already pitched. The only other Seattle reliever who has recorded a save this season is setup man Justin Topa, whose use has not changed since Sewald’s departure.
And The Closer Is…
Munoz has had some hiccups but has not yet been supplanted by Brash on the bullpen depth chart. It's worth noting that on Wednesday, Munoz blew another save opportunity against the Chicago White Sox in what was an eventual 5-4 loss in extra innings. Based on recent usage, it looks like a committee has been formed, but nothing has been announced by the team. By now, the team probably sees the benefit of protecting the arms and psyches of their young pitchers by having them share the pressure of the job. Munoz will likely continue to be used as the primary option to close with Brash ready to go in the ninth whenever the former is unavailable.
Munoz is rostered in 80% of Yahoo leagues and is worth adding if you are fortunate enough to find him on your league’s wire. Brash is only 33% rostered and is worth picking up as well. Each save that comes his way will garner more interest from other managers and there will be a rush to pick him up if Munoz stumbles again.
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