PEORIA, Ariz. -- I popped in Seattle Mariners camp Thursday morning and after the local beat writers tried unsuccessfully to get manager Lloyd McClendon to commit to naming his fifth starter, I joked with a couple of the writers how we all obsess over who makes the team and who doesn't, who's in the rotation and who isn't and so on.

I wasn't being critical; roster speculation is one of the fun aspects of spring training. We all do it. Mariners fans may not be happy that J.A. Happ is in the rotation while homegrown products Taijuan Walker -- turning heads, by the way, with 18 consecutive scoreless innings -- and Roenis Elias battle for the fifth spot. The truth is, the Mariners will need all six starters at some point, and likely seven or eight or nine. Especially when you factor in that Walker is a young guy you're not going to roll out there for 32 starts and 200 innings.

As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times pointed out, the last team to go an entire season with just five starters was the 2003 Mariners. The Reds would have done it in 2012, except a rainout forced a doubleheader and the use of a sixth starter for one game. The Giants nearly made it through that season with just five guys as well, using five starters for 160 of their 162 games.

But those are the rare exceptions. Last season, the average team used 10.3 starters. Two teams -- the Orioles and Brewers -- made it through the season with just seven starters. Only the Royals and Nationals had at least five pitchers make at least 25 starts. So even if a guy like Elias gets bumped from the rotation -- or Rafael Montero with the Mets, or Drew Pomeranz with the A's, or T.J. House with the Indians -- they'll likely appear and have to make a significant contribution at some point.

Same with the bullpen. McClendon said he told his relievers -- a group that led the majors in ERA last season -- that closer Fernando Rodney is the "only one etched in stone. Everything else is up for competition." That includes just making the team. The Mariners carried eight relievers for much of 2014 but with the likely platoons in left field (Dustin Ackley/Rickie Weeks) and right field (Seth Smith/Justin Ruggiano) will look to carry seven in 2015. McClendon says he has nine or 10 guys to choose from and while he'd like to carry two left-handers, that's no guarantee either. Again, however: All of those guys will likely appear at some point.

So, yes, spend these final days arguing about those Opening Day rosters. Just don't forget about the guys who get sent down.