Trent Thornton Relishes Time With Mariners Despite Grueling 2025
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Reliever Trent Thornton has been through a turbulent 2025 season, but lately things appear to be on the upward swing as October baseball returns to the Pacific Northwest for the Seattle Mariners. “The Big Dreidel” has dealt with Appendicitis, heat exhaustion, and tore his left Achilles tendon, all during this 2025 campaign. Despite the pain, long rehab process, and general difficulties of the 162-game season, Thornton has been uplifted by his teammates and still feels like he’s part of the teams success despite not pitching since the end of July. Ahead of the teams game one of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, Thornton discussed the way the year has played out for him, the support from his teammates, and much more.
Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton, mobility scooter and all, during the teams postseason and AL West clinching celebrations at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Riding in style
Fans have taken note of Thornton’s set of wheels: the scooter he’s needed to get around on as he rehabs from that torn left Achilles tendon. When he first took the trusty four wheeled companion on, using it to get around the Charlotte area (Where he’s from) and the Mariners complex down in Arizona, it received plenty of additions and accessories thanks to his Seattle teammates and other members of the organization. A cobalt-blue mobility scooter, that you can find on Amazon from BlessReach for about $140, isn’t typically dressed up like a children’s race car. The additions to Thornton’s ride include a nice dark blue cushion where his knee rests, mini Truck Nutz that dangle from the back (Removed when the scooter is in public view, of course), red-and-yellow streamers with flame designs on the handlebars, a miniature rubber duck with devil horns all once were part of the decor of the four-wheeled powerhouse but didn’t last too long. The scooter now mainly boasts the fuzzy blue cushion and the occasional sighting of the Truck Nutz, but it’s still a hit with everyone in the clubhouse despite being a bit “dressed down” for it’s standards.
“There’s certain decorations that are appropriate for in the locker room, and then certain ones that aren’t good for family viewing, right? Well, I mean, they could be depending on the family... No, it’s been all in good fun, the guys have had a blast with this. This guy’s been a, been a treat.”
Together, through it all
Many Mariner fans have been quick to notice that Thornton’s #46 jersey still resides in the Seattle bullpen, whether at home inside of T-Mobile Park or when the team goes on the road, despite his injury and him largely not being able to be out in the bullpen with the team. Bullpen catcher and fan favorite Justin Novak, who always keeps the vibes and energy high, was the one who originally had the idea to hang Trent’s jersey in the bullpen, which was a surprise to Thornton who first saw it on the broadcast one night while he wasn’t with the team at the time. It may seem like a small gesture to have a piece of Trent still around with the ballclub while he rehabs, a member of the organization since 2023, but there’s a deeper meaning to Thornton. When asked about his jersey making trips around different ballparks on the teams workout day ahead of game one of the ALDS, Trent described how it’s just a small part of the teams cohesiveness this season, something he hasn’t seen in other roster that he’s been part of. Thornton showed some vulnerability and emotion in detailing just what it meant to him to still be included and made to be part of the team despite having his year on the field finished, showcasing the bond that this 2025 Mariners ballclub has through his own experience.
“I’m not just saying this, to say it: this team is something tha is hard to put into words, as far as the camaraderie, the chemistry. Every single guy next to you having your back, and that’s the truth. That’s hard to find in professional sports, right? But now is the time where you need it the most. Seeing guys, essentially miss close to half a season, with the appendicitis, and then my Achilles, but they still make me feel like I’m right there with them... Kansas City, Houston, seeing my jersey when I’m home watching on TV, I’m like, ‘oh man guys,’ gives me chills, gives me butterflies. I know I can’t compete, but I can compete through those guys. When they’re striking guys out, getting out of big jams and stuff, I’m getting just as fired up as they are. You might not see it, but I am. Obviously them, including me, with all the clinching and stuff like that, doing my little scooter lap and being in the center for the dance after the game. It’s a weird feeling, because typically, when you’re on the IL you’re, like, out of sight, out of mind, right? They’ve made me feel like I’m right there with every step of the way. I wish I could tell you how much that really means to me. It’s hard to put into words, and that starts from the top down. The front office, the coaching staff, the trainers and my teammates, like, bunch of phenomenal human beings in here.”
Bullpen buddies
Throughout baseball, it always seems like the bullpen on a roster is it’s own time within the team. Relievers are sometimes described as their own sort of breed, akin to that of goaltenders in hockey in their uniqueness and personality. The Seattle bullpen has gone through it’s own changes over the last few years, highlighted by “Los Bomberos” with the 2022 roster that last reached the postseason. When asked about this years bullpen, that’s had many different unsung heroes like Eduard Bazardo in addition to the high leverage names such as Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash, Thornton reiterated that this Mariners team is a very tight knit group that isn’t separated by the different positional groups.
“They’re definitely teams where the bullpen is a team within a team, right? It is what it is. You’re out there on an island by yourself. This team’s different. Yeah, the bullpen is a really close knit group, but everyone’s together here. It’s not like, ‘stupid relievers.’ Instead, it’s ‘You guys are dogs out there.’ Special teams happen. As soon as everyone in this locker room realized that, ‘Hey, we’re cohesive,’ started rolling and started rolling at the right time.”
Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton during the 2025 MLB season at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
A difficult season on the field
While he hasn’t been the fanbases favorite reliever during his Mariners tenure, Thornton has eaten some significant innings throughout the course of his time in Seattle. The now 31-year-old reliever appeared in 33 games this season, but was strong in the second half of the 2023 season (2.08 ERA, 1.077 WHIP in 23 appearances) after being acquired in a trade that sent minor league infielder Mason McCoy to Toronto on July 26th of that season and threw the second most innings of his career in a single season in 2024, the second only to his 2019 when he was a starting pitcher for the Blue Jays. Despite struggles at times this season, Thornton remained a reliever that manager Dan Wilson went to in key moments and had some solid numbers before suffering his season ending injury. In his Seattle tenure, Trent boasted a 102 ERA+ over 127 games while showing improvement this year in his run after suffering from heat exhaustion in a road game against the Chicago Cubs.
“This year has been extremely frustrating for me; appendicitis, heat exhaustion at Wrigley and then my Achilles, right? I’ve prided myself my entire career of being available. If I’m not available, you’re not doing the team any favors. Obviously that part of my season has really sucked, but these guys are picking me up. I haven’t even had a chance to feel sorry for myself, which I don’t want to, but they’re keeping my spirits up. It’s special, that’s all I can say. It’s special, because it doesn’t happen all the time. It’s awesome.”
Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton during the 2025 MLB season at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)
Working his way back, even on the scooter
While it’s somewhat difficult to do with his left foot still in a walking boot, Thornton is doing what he can to get some rehab in and work his way back to pitching once again. Through the last homestand of the regular season, Trent has been seen throwing in the bullpen with one knee on the scooter or in a somewhat crouched position to provide stability in the walking boot, overseen by a Mariners trainer. It’s an odd situation for him to be in as he tries to get back to throwing, but Thornton is doing all he can to make progress.
“I’m trying to keep my arm going because my arm feels great. I basically took a month off already from throwing because I couldn’t do anything. So now I’m just kind of standing here and getting it going. Trying to do as much as I can, there’s obviously no pain. My range of motion is very restricted, I’m in a boot for a little bit longer, and then graduate to a shoe, which I can’t wait to get out of this boot. ”
The Seattle fanbase
Lastly, in a Mariners clubhouse that was blasting Mariachi music ahead of it’s Friday workout, Thornton reflected on the Seattle fanbase he’s been able to witness and experience for the last two and a half seasons. The fanbases of Emerald City teams are known for their noise, and obviously fans of the Mariners are no different. Trent reflected a bit on the late push that Seattle made in the 2023 season as they came up just short in an AL West title race that saw the Houston Astros barely win ahead of the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, and he’s excited to see what the crowds will be like this weekend plus the potential of more in hopes of a deep October run.
“I got a taste of it in ‘23 in the month of August, when we were like, best team in baseball, right? Sold out every game, it was awesome. Came up short, came up short last year. This last homestand, it was freaking electric, electric. Whatever they were doing there, bring that, and if you got any more in the tank, bring it even more. This city is such an unbelievable city. The fans deserve this. We’re going out there, not only for ourselves, but for them as well.”
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