DALLAS – Dan Wilson’s morning plans Wednesday included a sit-down breakfast with Seattle’s three Mariners beat writers for a casual conversation at the Hilton Anatole, an annual tradition for all the league’s managers and media members during the third day of the MLB Winter Meetings.
Wilson’s dinner plans Wednesday include a meetup with Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller somewhere deep in the heart of Texas.
Miller is from New Braunfels, Texas, near San Antonio, and spends his offseasons back home. It’s just under a 4-hour drive from Dallas.
“We’re going to meet about halfway,” Wilson said.
It’s part of Wilson’s ongoing efforts to strengthen connections with Mariners players entering his first full season as the club’s manager in 2025.
“I’ve been able to make contact with a lot of guys,” Wilson said Tuesday. “That’s one of the things we try to do is stay connected as best we can throughout the offseason.
“It’s not just me. Our coaching staff does a great job of that as well, you know, staying in contact. I know ’Gar (Edgar Martinez) is watching videos of guys hitting in the offseason. …
“There’s a lot of communication. There’s a lot of talk that goes on, and I think that bodes itself well for when we get to spring training. It doesn’t take so long to get started. We’re pretty familiar with where we are. This is a group that’s been together now for a little while. It helps to really smooth that transition as we get into spring.”
More depth for bullpen?
Mariners reliever Matt Brash remains on track in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery – perhaps even ahead of schedule. The Mariners are optimistic Brash can return to the bullpen by the end of April, as the Times reported last month.
“I can’t overstate how important it would be to have Brash back,” Mariners General Manager Justin Hollander said this week. “Brash just fixes a lot of things that happen in-game because he’s so good when he’s out there. He can do things with the baseball that 99.9% of pitchers can’t do.
“He can do it in any situation. He can come in the sixth inning and wipe somebody out or he can pitch the ninth inning. Matt solves a lot of problems in-game when they pop up and buys a lot of margin for error in the game when things start to go south.”
Another reliever, Gregory Santos, remains a wild card for 2025 after he missed the vast majority of his first season with the Mariners with myriad injury issues.
“I don’t think we ever really saw the best version of Gregory Santos last year,” Hollander said. “The version two years ago (who) pitched for the White Sox is one of the best relievers in American League. He’s really good.
“And the idea of those two (Brash and Santos) back and healthy and ready to go for the majority of our season with ‘Muni’ (Andres Muñoz) is something that we were incredibly excited about last year.”
Could the Mariners potentially add another arm to the bullpen this offseason?
That doesn’t sound like a top priority, but the Mariners have had tremendous success in recent years finding hidden gems – Paul Sewald, Justin Topa, Gabe Speier, Collin Snider, to name a few – and Hollander said the club continues to search for similar reclamation projects.
“We always try and find interesting guys,” he said. “You can never have too much bullpen. I would be shocked if we didn’t add some bullpen along the way this offseason.
“We’ve done it every year, even if it’s guys that nobody really has heard of before that turn into something because of the strength of our pitching group, plus our analyst, plus our HP (High Performance) group. We will find ways to add some guys.”
Astros-Cubs trade in the works?
Could the Houston Astros be serious about trading away one of their best bats?
The Athletic reports that the Astros have had talks about sending right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in a package involving Seiya Suzuki and third baseman Isaac Paredes.
The Cubs reportedly have been reluctant to trade Suzuki, preferring to deal Cody Bellinger instead as part of their efforts to move salary.
Tucker, a free agent after the 2025 season, could command $400 million on the open market next winter.
Speculation throughout the industry is that Alex Bregman, Houston’s stalwart third baseman, will sign a free-agent deal elsewhere, perhaps as soon as this week.
Paredes could be an option to replace Bregman in Houston.
Per sources, the Mariners considered a trade for Paredes earlier this year when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays, but Seattle decided Paredes’ profile as an extreme-pull hitter would not be a good fit at T-Mobile Park.