The Seattle Mariners have run into some bullpen problems lately. Evan Scribner and Ryan Cook were both injured early in spring training, putting a damper on bullpen plans. Once Charlie Furbush who is the most dependable lefty in the bullpen was injured, it became apparent that the bullpen was growing thin rapidly.

The bullpen finally started to take shape this week. Steve Cishek and Joaquin Benoit were locks for the later innings from the point of their signings, while righties Tony Zych and Joel Peralta and lefties Vidal Nuno and Mike Montgomery have earned their spots through spring. The Mariners’ options were growing thin for the last spot in the seven-member bullpen, although Donn Roach did make a strong push in spring. He will start the season in Triple-A instead.

The Mariners decided it was time to make one last trade before the season officially began. They had been in discussions with the San Diego Padres for about a week and it seems that on Wednesday, the two teams finally came to an agreement. The Padres traded Nick Vincent to the Mariners for a player to be named later.

It is near impossible to say if it was a good trade or not for the Mariners without knowing who the player to be named later is; however, it is likely this was a move the Mariners felt they not only wanted to make, but needed to. I imagine that the Mariners did not give up anything significant since Vincent was out of major league options and the Padres seemed ready to move on from his services. Of the options that were rumored interests of the Mariners, the club might have gotten the best option.

Vincent is in his own words a “bulldog” as a 5-foot-10, 175-pound strikeout pitcher who doesn’t seem afraid to pitch to anyone. In his 150.2 innings in MLB, spread out amongst four seasons, he had an ERA of 2.63, a WHIP of 1.06 with 161 strikeouts. A right-hander who is proficient against right-handed hitting, Vincent should fit in nicely and is a piece the Mariners desperately need at this point.

The acquisition of Vincent does bring up the question as to who will lose their spot in the bullpen when either Furbush or Scribner come back from injury. Montgomery is the player who took the spot of Furbush when he was injured, but Montgomery is out of options. With Scribner, there are more options as to who could be sent down, so it might just come down to who is struggling at the moment.

Vincent has struggled in spring training a bit, posting a 5.40 ERA in 8.1 innings of work for the Padres. He actually faced the Padres in a Minor League game today, pitching a 1-2-3 inning as well. No one should be worried about Vincent’s spring numbers, as it is just spring training. He has shown that he can become a vital part to the new bullpen through the last four years, both in MLB and Triple-A. With the season less than a week from starting, we will find out how effective Vincent truly is. I imagine most will not be disappointed.