Mariners acquire relief pitcher but still need one more big move

The Seattle Mariners trade for righty Yosver Zulueta, but ideally still need another quality bat to help their quest for a playoff berth.

Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander confirmed a move on Friday, with the acquisition of Yosver Zulueta from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor leaguer Dusty Revis. As a result of the trade Samad Taylor was designated for assignment, to keep the M’s 40-man roster full at 40 players.

The general consensus is that the Mariners still need another quality bat to compliment the lineup, especially after losing Jorge Polanco and with Eugenio Suárez also all but gone. At this juncture the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan is considered the prime option, but that potential move will have to wait for another day at least.

The M’s have been continually looking to strengthen the bullpen due to a lack of quality depth last season, which really came to the forefront during their playoff run. Whether Zulueta fits the bill remains to be seen, but his bio seems to allude to him being someone who will spend time the majority of his time in the minors and providing some insurance against injuries.

The righty was originally signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent out of Cuba back in 2019. He spent three years in the Blue Jays organization between 2021-23 and then the last two years with the Reds.

M’s aiming to succeed with yet another bullpen project

Zulueta made his Major League debut in 2024 and has so far pitched 23.2 combined innings over 19 appearances. In that time he has produced a 5.32 ERA, 4.21 FIP and 1.310 WHIP; as per Baseball Savant, last season he ranked in the 82nd percentile with his 96.3 mph fastball velocity.

The Cuba native represented his country in the 2022 and 2023 All-Star Futures Game. Across five seasons in the minors he has produced a 3.73 ERA and 1.380 WHIP in 234.0 combined innings, including a 3.28 ERA and 1.144 WHIP in 60.1 combined innings last season in Louisville.

Revis was selected by the Mariners in the 11th round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Western Carolina University, but did not pitch in the minors last season. Taylor was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in January 2024 and has so far made more of an impact in the minors, last season batting .296 with a .839 OPS over 137 games in Triple-A Tacoma.

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Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

Do you believe the Mariners will make one more major acquisition prior to the beginning of the regular season, or do you think they are prepared to move forward with their depth chart as it is now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.