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Gilbert

The studly 27-year-old right-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the afternoon while issuing only one base on balls. Most of the damage that was done against him came via the long ball, with Gavin Lux launching a solo homer in the second inning and Austin Wynns adding another in the third. The Mariners’ ace got 13 swings and misses on 79 pitches on the day — six of those on his splitter — while registering an elite CSW of 37 percent. A consensus top five starting pitching option in all fantasy drafts, Gilbert holds a 6.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 19/7 K/BB ratio over 15 innings in Cactus League action.

Gilbert went unscatched over the first two innings, but Heliot Ramos took him deep for a solo homer in the third, and an inning later Ramos picked up a two-run double. The 27-year-old was named the M’s Opening Day starter, and despite a so-so spring training, he has a chance to be a fantasy ace in 2025.

The decision doesn’t come as a surprise since Gilbert has blossomed into one of the most durable workhorses in baseball over the last three years, leading the majors last season with 208 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old ace will take the ball on Thursday, March 27 against the rebuilding Athletics at T-Mobile Park. It’ll be his first Opening Day start after veteran Luis Castillo took the ball each of the past two years. He’s a top-five range starting pitcher from a fantasy standpoint this spring and should benefit from the tasty matchup to kick off the regular season.

Gilbert walked two in the first and gave up back-to-back solo homers in the second, so it ended up being a shorter-than-expected outing for him. He has a 6.75 ERA after three starts, which is the same ERA he had in five starts last spring. In fact, his career spring ERA is 6.09.

Gilbert was in complete command in this one, striking out two batters on the afternoon — Ryan McMahon and Jacob Stallings. The lone baserunner against him came as the final hitter he faced, Sam Hilliard, worked a walk. The 27-year-old hurler got five swings and misses on 42 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 26 percent. He did throw his new sinker five times in this one, with an average velocity of 93.8 mph. It did not generate any swings and misses. The rest of the spring should be a mere formality as the Mariners’ ace gets himself ready for the regular season.

Unfortunately, there’s no Statcast data to analyze here, but The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude reports Gilbert unveiled the new mystery pitch he’s been tinkering with in camp, which he described as a version of a sinker. He struck out three and issued a pair of walks. It’s an interesting wrinkle to monitor moving forward this spring, but Gilbert was locked in as a top-10 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes prior to this latest development.

That’s quite a bargain for Gilbert considering Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd are both making $15 million this season. Gilbert still has two more years of arbitration, which means he will likely remain a bargain for the Mariners over that stretch. Gilbert took his performance to a new level in 2024, posting a 3.23 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 208 2/3 innings. He is flirting with top-10 value amongst all starting pitchers in fantasy baseball.

Seattle’s overabundance of young starting pitching has led to them being at the epicenter of trade rumors in recent weeks. According to multiple reports, the Phillies reached out last month to gauge their interest in third baseman Alec Bohm. We’re unwilling to rule anything out, but it certainly sounds like the Mariners have zero interest in moving any of their established young starters at the moment.

Gilbert struck out seven without issuing a walk. In fact, he didn’t issue any kind of baserunner until there was two outs in the sixth when Nick Allen — a .177 hitter even after the single — poked one down the left-field line. Gilbert then left to a loud and deserved ovation. The 27-year-old has been excellent in the past, but this was his best year; leading MLB in innings pitched with 208 2/3, a 220/37 K/BB and 3.23 ERA. Gilbert should be one of the first starters off the board in drafts next year.

Luis Castillo might have come off the IL to start this weekend had the games meant something, but that’s not happening. The surprise here is that Gilbert, who started Tuesday, will get the nod over Miller, who started Monday, in the finale. Miller wasn’t officially ruled out for the weekend, but it seems likely that he’ll finish up with his current 12-8 record and 2.94 ERA.