Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto appeared on the latest Locked On Mariners podcast with Ty Dane Gonzalez and Colby Patnode and offered a fairly thorough review of the club’s offseason strategy and overall roster makeup leading into the 2023 campaign. First off, they’re likely done spending for the time being …
“We might wind up coming up with a late trade like we did a year ago with Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker by way of Cincinnati,” said Dipoto. “We could pick up a couple of extra NRIs, the non-roster invites … we’re constantly trying to add to the depth of what we go to Spring Training with. But if I had to bet on anything major happening before we step foot on the field, I’d bet against it at this point. And we’re comfortable with that. We feel like we have improved this team.”
Winker is gone after one highly disappointing season in Seattle, having been dealt to the Brewers in December as part of a package for rangy second baseman Kolten Wong. Among the other newcomers: Teoscar Hernandez, acquired via trade from the Blue Jays in November. AJ Pollock, brought in on a one-year, $7MM free agent contract earlier this month. And also Tommy La Stella, signed to a one-year major league pact 10 days ago.
Dipoto views this as more of a deep and dynamic group than what the Mariners put out there in 2022, when they snapped the longest postseason drought in North American professional sports before getting swept by the eventual World Series-champion Astros in the ALDS. Most of the additions have been on the position-player side, which makes sense given that Seattle finished 14th last year in combined team OPS at .704 and 8th in combined team ERA with a mark of 3.59.
Hernández will be the new starter in right field, with near-unanimous 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner Julio Rodríguez locked into center for possibly the next decade-plus. Dipoto expressed hope that Jarred Kelenic can take a step forward and grab the reins in left. Taylor Trammell figures to factor into the outfield mix as well, and so can the versatile Dylan Moore if he makes a full recovery from offseason surgery to address a core injury. Moore will be a little behind his teammates when Spring Training officially gets underway next month, which maybe gives young speedster Cade Marlowe a chance to shine.
The infield looks set with Ty France at first base, Wong sliding into second, Suarez handling third, and J.P. Crawford returning at short. La Stella will back up a couple of those spots along with Moore and Sam Haggerty. Cal Raleigh should get the majority of the action at catcher, with a healthier Tom Murphy sitting behind him in reserve. “All baseball activity is in play now,” Dipoto said of Murphy, who appeared in only 14 games in 2022 because of a left shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in June. “His workouts have gone extremely well … We missed Murph.”
The bullpen largely has the same dominant names and faces — Paul Sewald, Andres Munoz, Diego Castillo, Matt Brash, Penn Murfee — that helped produce a combined 3.33 reliever ERA (6th in MLB) and 583 strikeouts in 544 innings last season. Justin Topa, recently picked up from Milwaukee, drew praise from Dipoto as an under-the-radar breakout candidate in that department.
The biggest camp battle, as things stand right now, is going to be for the final spot in the starting rotation. Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales are the frontrunners, but Dipoto sees Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, Taylor Dollard and Bryan Woo knocking on the door as the season plays out. Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray and George Kirby can be penciled into the top four spots, pending any sudden injuries.
That was a great deal getting Pollock for 7 years at 7 million. Kudos.
Damn Jerry is good!
Bobby Bonilla-style stretch payment?
You think he’ll still be clobbering LHP in his final year of that contract? At the age of 42? In his backyard maybe!! Obviously a typo- as your sarcasm suggests…haha
They signed him through his age 42 season! Too bad they would stretch like that for one of those SS…
Still a good deal, as long as it’s all front-loaded for this season. Lol
Surprised the league didn’t have a problem with that. It means for tax purposes, only 1M AAV, and obvious moves to circumvent the rules are normally reviewed by the league.
Smh.
With a statement like that just forget about catching the Trashtro’s this season.
Didn’t AJ pollock sign for only one year? A seven year 7m deal seems a bit weird..
It was a one year 7 million deal from Ms with incentives. He still gets 5 million on buyout from white sox.
Do you guys think Winker will bounce back in Milwaukee ??
I do think he is a candidate for it. Back in NL. Seems like knee surgery went good. Contract year.
If the Brewers give Jesse Winker as long as they gave Lorenzo Cain to prove himself…
There were some bad rumors swirling around about Wink being on the “lazy” side toward the end of last year. The M’s are a team full of dedicated preparation and the thought is that he didn’t quite fit into that equation….
I think he suffered through one of those years where a ball player is pretty much banged up all year. He was always dealing with something, back, and had neck surgery this off-season.
I am absolutely going to be taking a look at him as a late round flyer for fantasy. Wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him bounce back. Rough year for us, but nothing that would make me say “he’s totally done for good.” I think there’s still some juice left, if he can find it
Supposedly he was also distraught and down because his daughter lives in Buffalo and he couldn’t barely see her at all last season. Seems like he was enjoyed by his teammates and Servais though, always joking around and yuking it up. I still haven’t found that article detailing the “laziness” allegations.
I got you bro, ill post it. It was a Ryan article. “Laziness” might not be the correct term. Something along the lines of “the clubhouse works really hard and he isn’t fitting in.” Mitch gets named dropped as an extremely hard worker
mobile.twitter.com/sodomojofs/status/1582417709266…
It was not an article. 710 interview
He was well liked in Cincinnati by both and fans and his teammates. He used to like messing with the opposing fans too on the road. Mets fans and Giants fans will especially remember that. I still think he missed bouncing things off Joey Votto, they used to be always talking in the dugout.
I personally expect he will do well in Milwaukee.
I can see how his antics might not go over with those not used to them or seen as not taking his job seriously.
Some people have a sense of humor and some don’t. It always starts at the top.
He better for the brewers sake. That lineup looks really weak. Tellez prob had his career year and yelich and Adams are a year older. Brewers need him
Yeah, he seems like a prime bounce-back candidate. Still walked at an elite clip in ’22 and kept his strikeout rate at a respectable level.
His BApip was also a career low, therefore some bad luck could be to blame — although he didn’t hit the ball as hard last year, but that may have been due to him not being fully healthy.
Yes. I wouldn’t have minded keeping him because I think he will surely bounce back, at least to an extent. I think he plays well offensively this season, but he’s still nearly unplayable in the field.
He really SHOULD be a DH. He is slow and rather poor glovework for an “everyday” outfielder.
Agreed. I also don’t think he loves giving full effort in the OF.
Knowing Jerry that means there will be a trade announcement tonight ha ha.
I kind of thought Seattle would have a big splash off season. Castillo last year was probably the splash.
Nice depth additions and the big bat of Hernandez. This is an interesting club.
As it stands, the M’s season largely depends on the LF/DH production. Every other area of the team is covered, barring significant injury. Kelenic, Trammell; all eyes are on you to step it up. We are deep in other areas and could stand to trade from our starting pitching as the year progresses.
If Kelenic/Trammell aren’t producing after the first six weeks to 2 months of the season, Jerry will go get somebody to plug in there. Not going to be given much too much rope.
It’s not always that simple. Free agents can’t be traded until mid-June (the 15th or 19th, I think) without their consent and most teams are reluctant to make trades before they know whether or not they’re out of the playoff picture.
It really is a shame to see Kelenic struggle as much as he has, I really hope for him he finally breaks out. Comps are so unfair, but when you are getting Mickey Mantle comps thrown your way, its both exciting and frightening.
The comps, and the promotions, were too soon. So many people complain about service time manipulation, but very, very few players are ready at the age of 21.
Agreed. I’ve learned by this point to not give comps any real attention and just worry about how they actually play and the numbers they produce.
Mickey Mantle was a switch hitter. Kelenic is not
I guess Dipoto couldn’t hide Trevor Bauer in Seattle
Play ball!
Hernandez is the only one that moves the needle.
Pollack, LaStella, Wong, Moran,and Hummel could be DFA’d during the season, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. Jerry’s still high from the 1 playoff appearance.
The bar is so low for Wong after that terrible Adam Frazier season that he’s not going to be DFA’d.
They’re not likely going to DFA Hummel given that he has so little experience, still has options, and there isn’t anyone challenging him for a spot on the 40.
Moran is on a minor-league deal, so he’s just depth for now, Pollock & Wong have too much experience to be DFA’d quickly. La Stella is the one who’s the most expendable. He doesn’t really cost them anything.
Wong is not going to be DFA’d. Worst case, he’s part of a platoon at 2B.
Pollock has crushed left-handed pitchers the past four seasons and he is 8 for 21 lifetime against three of Houston’s starters.
BS. Everyday Alexa reminds DP at 1 PM to make a transaction. It ain’t never gonna end.
@Winstow Leach, Now THAT is a fun comment.
I like it real good.
I wonder if Dipoto and Servais regret sharing their comments re: adding impact bats immediately following the ALDS exit? Their choice of words led me to believe we’d be pursuing 2, hopefully 3 of the better FA hitters this year.
We now know that was a pipe dream since the owners put a cap on Dipoto’s offseason FA spending. When I think about how much the team has risen in value since 2016 I get so frustrated and angry that the owners are limiting Dipotos spending. The team has almost tripled in value in the 6 years since Larson bought it.
Personally I think the team IS better than last years team- the platoon of Pollock/JK in LF should be slightly better than what Winker gave us. Wong is an upgrade over Frazier and Teo is an obvious upgrade over the combination of 60g from Haniger and his replacements in RF 2022.
The 2023 teams offense doesn’t need to be that much better than the 2022 team when we have a rotation of Luis Castillo and 3 SP2’s!! MLB fans outside SEA have no idea how special G Kirby is- he is a pitching savant. I for one can’t wait to see how far a full year of Kirby and Castillo can take this team in 2023
@ayhyrboy Don’t be upset that Dipoto didn’t waste any money on free agents this year. Not going to be too many of those contracts that will look good in even two years. I agree with you that having a full season of Castillo, Kirby, and Raleigh will be fun to watch.
My frustration with ownership is not focused solely on this years FA class. Its the lack of spending over the past 2 offseason’s and 2 trade deadlines after back to back 90 win seasons.
Ownership says they are “all-in” on trying to build a team that can win a WS but I wonder if Dipoto would have to make the divisive Kendall Graveman trade if ownership gave him their full backing?
Are they all-in when they have to use someone like Tommy LaStella or Tom Murphy as their DH?
Don’t get me wrong this FO and Player Dev group is the best we’ve had in years. There’s an argument it’s the best ever when you look at the past few drafts and current young talent. I just wish ownership realized how close they are to being a Top 3-5 MLB team
Can Jeff Bezos please just buy the team? They could rename T-Mobile “Prime Park” we could call the mound the distribution center.
ayrbhoy;
A couple of things…..
When Dipoto stated this “Reimagining” thing I wrote it was just one of his rebuilds. He makes a lot of trades – primarily gets some youngsters for his veterans, makes a trade or two for other veteran(s) and signs some in FA. A 2 year whirlwind of action.
Fans get excited and expect more. But the problem is that instead of pulling down the payroll and slowly adding to it, he quickly gets to his max and runs into a budget ceiling…meanwhile the players on his roster are going to want major raises over the next few years so some chopping of salaries will have to be done to keep them….or he’ll have to trade them. Consequently there is no more he can do.
He has no flexibility – payroll space based on revenues is maxed out, and the farm system has few if anything to offer. Now the ML roster has to produce, but when a few players productivity decreases he can only jimmy around in trades hoping to hit a jackpot. Basically he did what the White Sox did in a bit of a shorter time span.
–
As for the franchise tripling in value….
Payroll is part of the operating expenses and those are based primarily on revenues. Some franchises sell minority shares in their franchise to get more revenue. Apparently the Mariners owners don’t. That’s their right.
The Angles were up for sale. Now they aren’t. Arte very probably didn’t get what he thought he would. The Nationals were up for sale before them, and they haven’t closed a deal. All the entities that estimate MLB franchises worth – many that are media publications – are in a fantasyland that they all say is reality. It’s not. MLB has lots of problems – and these ridiculous 10-12 year contracts are making the situation worse.
You basically said Seattle is operating in the same fashion that 90% of the league operates. But thanks for the information that we all know already! Draft Develop and Trade.
Selah Rick 2;
You think Dipoto acts like 90% of FO heads do?
Turn over their roster and farm system in 2 years, leaving themselves no financial or player asset flexibility.
Under the salary cap that nobody knows how high or low it is? Yes he operates the same as any other team would be. He locks up the players he thinks are the core. Or leaves cap for locking up those core players. We praise the Braves for doing just that. Only the Braves got nothing for Freeman or Swanson. And have no cap space to fill there holes at ss or left field. JD is operating the same way only his holes were at ss, lf and rf. All of his prospects are a couple of years away or longer. So until those prospects start to materialize he traded from a position of strength while still staying at his salary cap. Isn’t that what most teams do?
Selah Rick 2;
Mumbo Jumbo.
NO team does what Dipoto does. And he’s done it more than once.
As for locking up players to extensions – yes the Braves do that, and they keep those players. Let’s see if Jerry does that.
@Samuel where are you getting they are maxed out on revenue? Not even close. Their TV deal is top 5 in MLB, they own 60% of the RSN and added the Trailblazers and Kraken the last two years. It was reported they make $250+ million on Root alone late in the season.
Now should they have some fiscal responsibility? For sure, but while I think their overall depth is better, their big additions are on one year deals. They need to add pieces that are going to be here for what we hope in Seattle is their window to winning it all.
There is too much talk of Ohtani signing with the M’s. I just don’t think those odds are in Seattle’s favor, Both LA teams and SF IMHO have a major edge. And with the way Cohen and the Rangers have been spending I wouldn’t rule out either of those two teams.
The problem with Seattle ‘getting better’ is that their immediate competition for a wild card got better, too, and teams like Texas and LA are on their heels.
They really blew an opportunity to add a couple of stars and really make a run at the World Series, Instead, they’ll roll the dice with internal options and hope for fast breakouts from players who have struggled with their opportunities to date.
It helps that they have pitching depth, and a late trade from their surplus of RHPs wouldn’t be surprising, but fans have every right & reason to be disappointed with this offseason.
That said, I’m still curious and as anxious as anyone else to get things started.
I know a lot of fans wanted DiPoto to make a big splash. But the starting pitching, including the depth available in the minors, should be enough to keep them in the chase. Have they done enough to catch the Astros? Unlikely, but the Astros also lost the Cy Young winner, who owned the M’s last year. Should be a fun ride this season.
I don’t know if they done enough to catch the Astro but they did play them extremely tight in there playoff games. Beside Seattle who else played the Astro this good against them. I think were closer than most people think.
Stevil is full of BS as usual, all about how the Mariners “blew it”, but I can’t tell him that because he has me muted.
That brings a huge smile to my face.
People who are perrenially wrong just hate to be reminded.
Ayrbhoy, on the other hand, and SODOMOJO and some others, can wonder and muse about things without appearing foolish and arrogant.
I believe the Mariners are right where they need to be now, but I am willing to be surprised and corrected when appropriate.
But like the old saying has it, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Let’s play ball.
I would much rather have Cal, Kirby and Gilbert signed for the next 10 years than go after one FA who will cost as much as them combined. The future is looking really bright, with Felnin and 3 top 30 picks on the way. We need to maintain success for the next decade, not blow our wads on another Eric Bedard scenario.
SAM’s;
Are Cal, Kirby and Gilbert actually signed for the next 10 years? I didn’t know that.
How many players can you name that played for the same team the past 10 years? Any Mariners. Jerry has been with the Mariners since 2015. Can you name 3 players that have been with the team for 5 years?
I’d be shocked if one of those players was still with the Mariners and productive 10 years from now….let alone at a large salary.
I see you’re in fine form Fred, that the Fred I remember..
It is always great to see your name, Lee.
In this world of upheaval and instability, I always hope something good has stayed the same.
Those were good old days, when Shannon had her blog and we could talk to each other on the Disqus program.
Re- Samuel,
Why do people keep saying Arte Moreno didn’t get was he was asking for, So he took the Angels off the market?
There were no formal bids submitted. Prospective buyers were granted tours of Angel Stadium. But that’s as far as it went. As far as publications coming with articles on Pro Sport franchises. value They’re usually spot on. And there’s a lot that goes into it. Local and National TV and radio revenue. debt, location how well they draw etc, MLB is as healthy as it’s ever been. And when they expand in a few years. The current 30 teams will get a entry fee from the new teams. They however won’t ask the A’s for the $1B fee to relocate. That will help the A’s should they have to help with financing of a new ballpark where ever they set up shop.Most likely Las Vegas.
How is it Mumbo Jumbo? He has locked up Julio, Castillo, Munoz, Crawford and has said multiple times he is not just building for now but also 5 to 6 years from now. And he hasn’t had his team in Seattle til last year when he won 90 games and the playoffs. Until then he was getting rid of over priced vets that weren’t being productive and that handcuffed him on what he could do. I’m not even sure what your talking about when you say he does this all the time. He had no control in California and he inherited a mess in Seattle.
Seager, Haniger, Cano, king Felix. That’s 4 right there. They aren’t signed, I was saying I would rather sign those 3 than spend 400 on Ohtani next year. I would like the team to be like Atlanta and sign their nucleus early, they don’t have the money to blow one 1 elite player like they did Cano. That deal hampered the team for a long time. Baseball takes a while to get your players on the big league roster, we are just now seeing those players come up and contribute.
Let’s sign Gary Sanchez to a minor league deal. That would be a blasty blast
Trust me when i say that I want the Mariners to have another high end player or two right now. But you also have to acknowledge that 95m to 141m is a pretty big jump in a year for a team trying to build for the long term/ do it right. And very soon Ray is on the books at 25m Castiillo 24m Julio 20m Evan White 8m etc
The 40-man roster is around 133m. right now. They finished 2022 around 116m..
They have just over 100m in committed salary for 2024. This is a team that isn’t honoring their word. They keep moving the goalposts and cutting excuses for their contradictions regarding team payroll and spending coming out of the rebuild.
Nobody should believe for a second that the money isn’t there or the nonsense about future commitments. Seattle was bottom-third in total payroll last year and they likely finished 10th or 11th in total revenue (we don’t know the totals yet). They’re currently 18th in spending if I’m not mistaken.
And then there’s the revenue from ROOT Sports NW, televising Trailblazers, Kraken, and a numerous college teams that isn’t included in the MLB totals.
None of the committed salaries should be considered restrictive. Marco’s and Geno’s contracts have team options for 2025 that can be declined, Ray can opt-out after 2024, and if he doesn’t, he has two more years at what I would call fair, if not ‘good’, value. JP’s contract runs through 2026, but isn’t significant. White’s deal runs through 2025, after which the team can decline their option.
Only Julio and Castillo are under contract beyond 2026 and their deals are arguably team-friendly, and the arbitration projections for first and second-year players, like Kirby & Gilbert, aren’t going to be even the slightest bit restrictive. Woodruff, as a comparative, is earning 10.8m this year as a second-year eligible player.
It’s one thing if a free agent doesn’t want to come to Seattle or the commitment would be beyond ridiculous (see Bogaert’s contract), but self-imposed restrictions due to fear that they might lose a little on the back-end of a deal for a star, or overpay on a short-term deal, is another.
Meanwhile, Seattle is perfectly poised for another run at a 90-win season with a tough battle for a wild card. Of course we could see a late deal materialize, or something more significant at the deadline, but this isn’t a team taking the World Series seriously.
A ninety win team is not a bad place to start the season from also this team is an improvement from last years. I don’t think it’s too big a concern to go into spring training, and maybe beyond to discover where things need to be shored up, if that be the case I would expect trade(s) being made.. As far as I can see left field, and DH. is the bigger part of what needs to be figure out. Does that not look attainable?
Lee… you are correct. A 90-win team is a GOOD place to start. So, if the season progresses mostly as the M’s hope it does, then the M’s should be competitive with a several teams for one of the wildcard spots.
Further, you are correct that IF the season has progressed to the M’s management liking, then the M’s will be in position to upgrade a position or two with rental players that should make them better to finish off the season with.
However, the same was true for last year, and for the first couple years Dipoto was GM… and the M’s management CHOSE to NOT spend the money or prospects back then either. There have been LOTS and LOTS of promises, but only one lucky year where the playoffs were achieved.
Yes, last year the M’s made the playoffs – FANTASTIC!!! – even though Haniger was mostly hurt, Murphy missed most the season, Toro / Frazier / Winker / Upton and others did not produce as expected, and worst yet that Kelenic, Lewis, White & Trammel failed to step up as hoped. IF just one of Julio, Cal, Kirby, Gilbert and the bullpen not played above expectations, the M’s would not have made it.
And that’s the rub.
The M’s are going into this year, just like last year. IF the M’s have similar luck as last year, they might make the playoffs. Unfortunately, this June, the M’s probably don’t have enough in the farm system to get the next Castillo. They could probably find another Santana, and maybe another D Moore or Haggerty to fill in, but will that be enough??? Nobody knows.
That is why several of us would have been fine with signing ONE PLAYER to a BAD long-term contract. Yes, it would be BAD for the final years, but there most likely would not have been a question about making the playoffs this year or next.
Moreover, Dipoto, Hollander and others telling us that they are worried about 2026??? REALLLLLY 2026?? What is the salary cap going to be in 2025, let alone 2026. Most likely, the 2026 number will be at least $20M more than today – meaning most of that bad contract would easily be paid for without hurting the payroll.
I am so tired of these strawman arguments that the M’s front office and several media outlets have been trying to feed us. There is NO REASON for the M’s to be $70M below the salary cap. The attendance is there at the park. The revenues are there. AND just to be CLEAR… I am not saying spend all the $70M, or spend money to just spend money… but again ONE bad contract is not going to hurt the long-term viability of this team. It MIGHT even have helped.
Hey TacomaRain how have you been? Thanks for your response. I will keep this short by saying the end justifies the means. That Cano contract must have had an effect on Dipoto.
I’ve been well Lee, and actually enjoying the rebuild… believe it or not.
Thanks for asking. I hope all is well with you too.
Obviously, I still question the methods of the M’s front office, and really starting to think that unfortunately Geoff from the Times was closer to the truth than almost all of us thought.
As I said in my initial response, you are correct, per usual… the ends do justify the means… and maybe, just maybe… the season may be even more exciting due to the M’s front office doing less this offseason… despite my complaints and fears.
I understand why they had an off-season like they did, but I feel like they are in the kind of position where you add a star through free agency. They should be decent and have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs, but not as much at winning the division. It could happen, but I feel the odds are less than if they had added a big bat or arm. They could be making a serious run at the Astros if they could add a star or two. I do think they add to the bullpen before the season starts though.
All true. I’m actually just as concerned about staying ahead of Texas and Anaheim. Seattle finished 17 games ahead of Anaheim and 22 ahead of Texas in 2022, so it doesn’t seem like there’s much chance the M’s finish fourth in 2023… but those other teams at least did some more obvious things than the M’s when it comes to off-season improvements.