The Seattle Mariners will need to reduce their roster by two to get from 27 to the mandatory 25 and the announcement of who will be sent down and who will be in Seattle should come soon today.
Yesterday, the Mariners made a somewhat surprising move by optioning reliever Shawn Kelley to AAA Tacoma. It seems as though Kelley has been around forever as a mainstay in the bullpen, but injuries have kept him to 83.2 total innings in his three year career, including just 12.2 innings in the majors last season.
The final spot in the bullpen should come down to lefties Charlie Furbush and Lucas Luetge. Furbush was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in the Doug Fister trade and posted a 6.62 ERA in 53 innings for the M’s last season. He has a spring ERA of 0.87.
Luetge was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Milwaukee Brewers. If he does not make the team, he will have to be offered back to the Brewers.
The other battle should come down to Alex Liddi and Carlos Peguero. The injury to Mike Carp, who is starting the season on the disabled list, might give Peguero the advantage as an “outfielder” even though Liddi is the superior prospect.
When the news breaks on the final cuts, you can check out Lookout Landing for a more serious look at it!