The Seattle Mariners’ bullpen is not as bad as it seems

The Mariners’ bullpen has been dreadful through the first month of the season. But compared to the bullpen they were in position to field, have they actually downgraded by much?

Last year, the Mariners finished 10th amongst all MLB bullpens in fWAR with two elite relievers at the back-end of their bullpen leading the charge. Now, only Chasen Bradford and Roenis Elías remain from that group, and neither were significant contributors to the success of 2018.

Elías has stepped up in a major way and has been more valuable than any reliever that left the Mariners during the offseason. In 14 appearances so far, Elías has posted a 2.52 FIP while filling multiple roles within the bullpen, including…