40 in 40: Andrés Muñoz is El Jefe de Los Bomberos

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY SportsWith the departure of the beloved closer known as Paul Sewald, a gap has opened in the Mariners bullpen, known affectionately as “Los Bomberos” or “the firefighters”, a nickname given by the man who looks to be their new chief, Andrés Muñoz. Over the past two and a half seasons, the role of closer has been dutifully filled by Paul Sewald, racking up 52 saves over that same period. However, with Sewald’s trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks halfway through the 2023 season, that role has remained empty. The remainder of 2023 saw the closing duties spread among Muñoz, Matt Brash, Justin Topa (now with Minnesota), and less-frequently, Tayler Saucedo and Isaiah Campbell (now with Boston). While this stop-gap closer-by-committee situation worked to close out 2023, the time has come for a new Jefe de los bomberos! (I apologize for my poor Spanish; I never got anything higher than a D).

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