Seattle Mariners' President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto spoke on the "Locked On Mariners" podcast this week and provided an indication that neither Matt Brash nor Gregory Santos will be ready to pitch on Opening Day.
Brash's roster fate appeared sealed after he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation last week and has begun a slow and deliberate build-up, but Santos has been trending positively so there was thought he'd have a chance at being ready. He's been dealing with lat soreness.
The popular Mariners "X" user @MarinerMuse listened to the interview and put out the word on social media:
Dipoto said he expects Matt Brash and Gregory Santos will pitch for the Mariners "certainly in April", but said it's "highly unlikely" either will make the Opening Day roster. That's generally a positive update on Brash but the most pessimistic and definitive update I've seen on Santos' Opening Day chances.
It's certainly good to hear that he expects both pitchers to be with the team in April, but the question of how the bullpen will tread water until they're back is a legitimate one. After trading Paul Sewald at the trade deadline last year and trading Justin Topa this year, the bullpen is certainly thinner than it once was.
Seattle will have back-end anchor Andres Munoz and will have lefty set-up man Gabe Speier, but who fills in around them is still being decided. Perhaps the hard-throwing Carlos Vargas, who they acquired this offseason, will slot into some meaningful innings early in the season.
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