Jerry Dipoto is running the Seattle Mariners in circles
Jerry Dipoto’s half-in, half-out strategy at the trade deadline is perplexing? Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners and their fans pay the price of his indecision.
If you go to any sports team fansite and scroll through comments, there’s a familiar refrain: Our GM is ruining the team, possibly intentionally. In most cases, that logic is wrong; most GM’s bat around .500 when it comes to trades and signings. They may have a few misfires, but there’s an underlying logic that infuses in their decisions. A front office shot caller rarely makes moves just for the sake of making moves or without a clear plan. Unfortunately for Seattle Mariners fans, Jerry Dipoto is the type of GM that makes their nightmares into reality.
It’s not just that Dipoto’s moves don’t work out. But it’s hard to figure out what he’s trying to accomplish. He’s held on to veterans with value while rebuilding and dealt for the future while trying to contend. That’s the problem with his tenure. At the end of the day, the Seattle Mariners are running in place.
Let’s look at this season’s current roster post-trade deadline. I’m not going to kill him over trading Kendall Graveman. Relievers are pretty fungible. If Dipoto could get controllable talent before losing him, then that’s the move to make.
The issue is that move is only made if you don’t think your team is a real contender this year (he’d be correct in that assessment). If that’s the case, then why turn around and give up talent for another closer, Diego Castillo, who will cost Seattle the same if not more than Graveman would have as a free agent in arbitration next year, a 37-year-old reliever in Joe Smith, and rental starter Tyler Anderson?