š¢ TOP STORY: A quietly dominant strike-thrower may be the key to unlocking the Marinersā bullpen potential next year ā”.MH
The Mariners got to work early this offseason but even after the Josh Naylor signing, they still have a few things to fix. The search for a third baseman hasn’t led to any clear candidates and if they want someone impactful to fill the role, they’ll likely have to fork over significant money for one of the few available free agents or cough up prospect equity in a trade.
The team is also looking to round out their bullpen, something they can do more easily without breaking the bank or the farm. The Mariners are reportedly going to spread their money out over several arms instead of pursuing a single elite reliever, which could give them some flexibility when it comes to building their bullpen unit. They’ve already gotten to work picking up arms from elsewhere, but a potential option could be one of their very own minor leaguers.
Charlie Beilenson could find a path to the majors in 2026 if things continue to swing his way
A fifth-round draft pick out of Duke in 2024, Beilenson has been a reliever since college but didn’t really hit his stride until his fifth season, where he posted a 2.01 ERA with 12 saves over 62.2 innings. He split his first professional season between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas and ended up with a 4.02 ERA over 62.2 innings. He is Seattle’s No. 25-ranked prospect for MLB Pipeline and according to scouts, his best qualities are his command and kick-changeup.
His command was highlighted by his 4.6 walk rate in 2025, an exceptional figure by itself but even more outstanding when viewed alongside his 28.6 strikeout rate. In his first year of professional baseball, he has shown a tremendous ability to attack the strike zone and get into good counts and can induce quite a bit of swing and miss.
This strength has also been one of his main weaknesses as despite his strikeout-to-walk ratio, opposing hitters are averaging .258 against him, suggesting that he’s leaving too many offerings over the plate. Still, he has a solid fastball, a developing slider, and an above-average changeup which could be exactly the arsenal the Mariners need in their bullpen.
High leverage isn’t the only thing that Seattle needs when it comes to relievers. Matt Brash and
AndrƩs MuƱoz are more than capable of holding down the fort in a pinch, but having additional depth will allow Dan Wilson to spread the work across multiple arms rather than having to rely too heavily on just two or three pitchers.
Charlie Beilenson has some work to do, but with good numbers in Double-A, he’s demonstrated that he’s on the cusp of the big leagues. With continued refinements of his arsenal and an expanded strike zone, he could go from the 25th-ranked prospect to being on the 26-man roster.
