Don’t be stupid Mariners fans, Dipoto never said playoffs in 2020

Seattle Mariners Twitter exploded Thursday night after a moronic tweet from a local newsman sparked a debate that should have never existed.

Well, Jon Heyman may not have the worst Mariners take of the past calendar year anymore. A local news anchor tweeted out two cropped videos of Jerry Dipoto press conferences a year apart and decided to make a claim that was flat out untrue.

In the first clip, Dipoto says they do not believe the 2019 club would threaten for a playoff spot and that the team would be in a better position to pursue that in 2020 or 2021. In the second clip, Dipoto said the 2020 team won’t compete for a playoff spot this year and their success would be measured by player growth, not wins and losses.

What is the conclusion drawn by the anchor? That Jerry Dipoto told fans that they would be playoff contenders in 2020. I cannot fathom the stupidity behind that conclusion. It is disingenuous and a gross mischaracterization of the tone of the press conference from over a year ago.

Because not long after Dipoto’s comments from last winter, he was quick to point out that he saw the Mariners becoming interesting in the second half of 2020 and the winter of 2020. I wasn’t aware that “interesting” was a synonym for great. In fact, let’s check? Yeah, it’s not.

There are no shortages of criticizable decisions being made by the current regime. The benign statements made over a year ago are not one of them. And besides all of that, why would it be bad for a baseball team to be off 1-year on a proposed timeline? Does this man really think that things in baseball are static?

Do things not change quickly in this sport? Acquisitions that don’t work out, prospects who fail, and new information about your group are all things that come with an entire year of more data.

Jerry Dipoto didn’t lie to Mariners fans. Only a fool would believe this. But the anchor knows this. So instead, he chose to take his anti-Mariners agenda to social media in an attempt to rile up the halfwits and casual fans who can’t be bothered to learn what is actually happening with this franchise.

If you want to stir up trouble on the internet, that is your business, Mr. Levine. But trying to twist 2, 10-second clips filmed a year apart to try and prove that somebody lied without providing context for either clip is bush league.

Remember guys, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. But while you have to acknowledge everybody’s opinion, you don’t have to respect it. Do better. Demand better. And have a good night.