Seattle Mariners: Jerry Dipoto’s 5 Best Trades

Like most general managers in sports, Jerry Dipoto is criticized for the things he’s gotten wrong more than the things he’s gotten right. With “Jerry Season” fast approaching, I thought it’d be appropriate to give credit where credit’s due and look at the best moves from the MLB’s most active GM.

Say what you want about Dipoto’s regime, but you cannot deny that the offseason has never been boring with the former Major League reliever at the helm. Since 2015, being a Mariners fan in the Winter months has almost become just as exciting as the actual season. You could wake up any day and find that Dipoto and co. have executed another trade or free agent signing.

This regime has made acquisitions way more often than any other team in the Majors, and by a wide margin. Nearly 70 trades in, Dipoto has reshaped the Mariners’ organization from top to bottom and has shown a willingness to never stay complacent with the roster he currently has. Despite dealing with a restrictive payroll and mediocre farm system, Dipoto has never stopped short of trying to make his ballclub better and more competitive.

That will continue this offseason, in perhaps Dipoto’s toughest task to date. The Mariners are without a lot of payroll flexibility, and the farm situation remains the same. Félix Hernández‘s contract comes off the books next year, which gives them some room to breathe, but Dipoto’s Mariners may find themselves struggling to piece together a contender in the interim.

Still, no other GM has been anywhere near as active as Dipoto has, and that won’t change anytime soon. While he may not be the best general manager in the game, he may very well be the most creative. And that creativity has shone through plenty of times in the past, which takes us to the topic at hand: Jerry Dipoto’s five best deals he’s made over the course of his first three years in Seattle.