Should the Seattle Mariners Extend GM Jerry Dipoto?

The Seattle Mariners organization at the end of 2015 was in shambles. Sporting a roster of potential young talents and aging veterans past their prime at the major league level, the team finished 76-86 with a payroll nearing $120 million. The disappointing season led to the organization parting ways with their longtime GM Jack Zduriencik in favor of Jerry Dipoto, a young executive recently parted from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization.

In the following three years after his initial hiring in late 2015, the team accumulated win totals of 86, 78, and 89 with a payroll between $140 million and $160 million. While these three seasons are the oldest glimpses at what Dipoto can do to build a playoff-caliber team, they are only a few of the many reasons why he should be rewarded with a contract extension to validate the sweeping changes he has made to the baseball side of the organization.

Jerry Dipoto has long been under fire over his managerial methods during his time in the Seattle Mainers organization. While many believe “Trader Jerry” has made more than enough moves and been given ample time to give the city a long-awaited playoff berth, the Dipoto tenure in Seattle did not follow a linear path.

In order to fairly analyze his time in Seattle, we must break down his six years into two distinct eras: 2015-2018 and 2019-present. These three-year stretches had distinctly opposite goals in mind and grading them both under the same criteria fails to grasp the whole picture. Let’s take a look at both in order to better understand why Jerry Dipoto is deserving of a contract extension.