Mariners add relief help, acquire Josh Simpson from Marlins

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Mariners added more left-handed depth to the battle of their final bullpen spots on Monday, swinging a trade with the Marlins for Josh Simpson in exchange for cash considerations.

Simpson is expected to join the club in Arizona in the coming days and be in the mix by the time Cactus League games begin Friday.

TRADE DETAILS
Mariners acquire: LHP Josh Simpson
Marlins acquire: Cash considerations

In a corresponding move, right-hander Logan Evans -- who was already expected to miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery -- was placed on the 60-day injured list. Seattle’s 40-man roster remains at capacity.

Simpson was designated for assignment last Thursday, as Miami opted for a more proven lefty for their mix via veteran John King.

This could wind up being a change-of-scenery situation, as Simpson struggled to a 7.34 ERA with 22 walks and 36 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings across 31 outings last year -- his first in The Show.

There were bright spots, including scoreless outings in eight of his 10 outings immediately after his debut, but that was followed by a 12-outing stretch that included 19 runs (17 earned).

But his diverse arsenal might be primed for the Mariners’ pitching brain trust to work with and hone, as Simpson was tracked with six different pitches last year, per Statcast -- a sweeper (25.8% usage), curveball (23.7%), sinker (22.2%), four-seamer (11.7%), changeup (10.9%) and slider (5.7%). The heaters sat in the 94 mph, and the sweeper generated a 40.3% whiff rate.

He also induced a 53.9% ground-ball rate and struck out 24% of the hitters he faced.

Originally a 32nd-round pick by Miami in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Columbia University, Simpson climbed to the upper Minors by 2024, but that wasn’t until the end of that year, as an elbow injury forced him to miss most of that season.

Simpson is the fourth left-hander on the 40-man, joining Robinson Ortiz, whom the club acquired from the Dodgers on Nov. 16, and Opening Day locks Gabe Speier and Jose A. Ferrer. Acquiring lefty reinforcements to pair with Speier -- who’s emerged as one of the sport’s best specialists in his role -- had been a priority for Seattle’s front office over the offseason.

Of note, Simpson does have one Minor League option remaining, which gives the Mariners roster flexibility should they opt to carry him on the 40-man longer term.