Seattle Mariners Sign Steve Cishek to Repair Bullpen
By Bill Pivetz
The Seattle Mariners bullpen struggled greatly throughout the 2015 season. Management made an overall during the offseason, recently signing Steve Cishek.
The Seattle Mariners have been busy during the offseason so far. New General Manager Jerry Dipoto has made nine trades, eight free agent signings and five waiver claims since Nov. 1. The most recent of those transactions is the signing of reliever Steve Cishek. While he lost his closer duties early in the season, the Mariners are hoping he can rebound in 2016.
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Cishek began his career with the Miami Marlins. He took over the closing duties in 2012 and held it for three seasons. In his five and a half seasons, he recorded 94 saves with a 2.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. However, the final 32 games in his Miami tenure was a big drop off.
In his first outing of the 2015 season, Steve Cishek pitched just a third of an inning, allowing four runs and two hits and two walks. His ERA was an outrageous 108.00. Cishek was able to bring down to 9.82 by the end of April. On June 1, he was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville as A.J. Ramos took over the closing duties. Out of the ninth innings, Cishek was able to pitch more effectively, posting a 0.71 ERA over 12.2 innings from June 14 to July 23.
Steve Cishek was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched in 27 games with a 2.31 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He recorded just one save. During his time with the Cardinals, he could not find the strike zone, 7.7 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Despite some success, the Cardinals let him test out free agency.
The Mariners are in need of relievers. Former temporary closers Tom Wilhelmsen, Carson Smith, and Danny Farquhar were all sent to other teams. Longtime closer Fernando Rodney was traded to the Chicago Cubs in August and is now a free agent. The team then brought in Joaquin Benoit, Evan Scribner, and Justin De Fratus to fill the void.
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Of the new additions, I believe Benoit will be the closer when the 2016 season begins. Charlie Furbush is listed as the set-up man, but I can see Steve Cishek spending some time in that role, too. The former closer is now regulated to holds opportunities. If you play in a deeper league, Cishek is worth a late-round flyer, but in other leagues he’s best left on the waiver wire.
Projections: 1-1 record, 3.70 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, three saves, 25 strikeouts
Draft: N/A