What It Means:

Wilhelmsen has locked down saves for the team in each of his past two outings, so the announcement is more a formality than anything. Wilhelmsen will be the third closer the Mariners have used this season, following Fernando Rodney and Carson Smith.

If the goal for the Mariners is to have the most able-bodied reliever at the back end of the pen, this may not have been the correct choice. Smith holds a 2.55 xFIP on the season compared to Wilhelmsen's mark of 4.13. Smith's performance has fallen off a bit in the second half, but his xFIP is still a respectable 3.67. Our algorithms project the Mariners to win 18 more games this season.