Following yesterday’s small trade with the Tampa Bay Rays to pick up potential bullpen option Cole Wilcox, POBO Jerry Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander have continued their offseason activity by claiming right-hander Ryan Loutos from the Washington Nationals. The addition brings the 40-man roster total to 38.
Loutos is a hulking 6’5 240lb hurler that originally signed as a UDFA out of D-III Washington University (the one in Missouri) with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2021 and worked his way up through their minor league system despite never truly dominating at any level. Eventually debuting with the team in 2024, Loutos was DFA’d and shipped to the Dodgers for cash in 2025 before he was again DFA’d and picked up by the Nationals later that season. It was objectively a brutal year for Loutos, and his 12.75 ERA shows that, but there may be some low hanging fruit here that could make him a worthwhile arm to have in the organization.
The simplest adjustment for him involves his fastball — a pitch he relies on 46% of the time, despite it being fairly unremarkable. He experimented with a sinker in the majors that could serve as a useful alternative to his below-average heater if he can refine it, but for now, he can’t afford to keep throwing his current fastball as often as he does. Opponents hit .440 against it in 2025, doing plenty of damage, making it clearly the weakest pitch in his repertoire. His slider, on the other hand, was much more effective, featuring a gyro shape compared to his sweeper — another pitch the Mariners will likely want him to use more often. Those two slider variations, combined with a more polished sinker, might be his best path to success in the big leagues.
In all likelihood, this is just a claim to supplement the Triple-A stash of arms, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him let loose in favor of a free agent signing or trade acquisition, but as of now, he’s the latest addition to the stables of the Seattle Mariner bullpen and provides the team with a fresh arm that has multiple option years remaining. Hopefully he’s just a few tweaks away from being a contributor in 2026.
Leave a Reply