Mariners GM “likely done” with deals, should fans buy that?

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 11: Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto watches batting practice before a game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 11, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. The Rangers won the game 2-1 in eleven innings. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 11: Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto watches batting practice before a game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 11, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. The Rangers won the game 2-1 in eleven innings. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto seemingly never sleeps. His wheeling and dealing has come to be as unpredictable as it is prevalent in the headlines. Yet, after completing the Steve Cishek for Erasmo Ramirez swap, Dipoto claims he is finished for 2017.

Should Mariners fans take that as bible, or does a grain of salt need to be applied to what Dipoto says? Let’s look at the tale of years past.

After the 2016 season, Dipoto said the offseason would be a lot quieter than the year prior’s, but the Mariners then swapped Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to Arizona in a blockbuster for Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger.

Dipoto also ended up making 11 trades by mid-January, and I wouldn’t exactly call that quiet. The Mariners GM has also been no stranger to working deals out of nowhere, and I don’t think it would surprise anyone if he found at least one more deal before this year’s deadline.

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The Mariners are in a particularly tough spot, because they have talent and look like a playoff team some days. The problem is, after looking like a playoff team for a stretch they’ll go on a stretch just as long or longer where they totally implode.

Currently, after a loss to the Mets, they sit two games under .500, but Jerry Dipoto already established them as buyers with his acquisition of David Phelps and Marco Gonzales.

Quite frankly, if Dipoto does not go get Sonny Gray or a piece rotation piece like him, and play all in for this season, the M’s will have just wasted 2017. They boast a subpar pitching rotation, a shoddy bullpen, but a solid offense. The problem is, those cancel each other out, and the M’s are going nowhere but .500 with their current team.

Next: Mariners Trade Cishek to Rays for Ramirez

In other words, if Dipoto truly is done making deals for 2017, if his word is law, this time, then Seattle fans need to admit that this team may not be making the playoffs for a while. They need serious help on the pitching front, and if Dipoto doesn’t pony up to get it, the Cruz/Cano/Hernandez window will close and nothing will have come from it. That will be about as disappointing as anything.