SHANNON DRAYER

Mariners Hot Stove Show: Jerry Dipoto talks about what’s left on his offseason wish list

Dec 10, 2016, 11:21 AM | Updated: 12:21 pm

A mid-rotation starter and power arm for the bullpen are the two priorities left this offseason for...

A mid-rotation starter and power arm for the bullpen are the two priorities left this offseason for Jerry Dipoto. (AP)

(AP)

If you missed the Hot Stove Show, which was broadcast live Friday night from the Mariners Team Store at Bellevue Square and featured an hour with Jerry Dipoto, well never fear, we have a podcast.

Fresh off his trip to the Winter Meetings, the Mariners general manager joined us for the first hour to give insight into the moves he has made this offseason and where he sees his team today. He confirmed that he wants to add a starter “who fits closer to 3 to 4” in the rotation (preferably through trade), and that he is still looking for another power arm for the bullpen.

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In addition to roster building, Dipoto talked quite a bit about the impact Robinson Cano has had on his team – not by what he has done on the field, but by what he has done behind the scenes. The work you may have heard that Cano put in with Jean Segura last offseason? Well, it is ongoing. Cano has also had an impact on Felix Hernandez, pointing him in the direction of the trainer who helped get him back into top shape after surgery last year. Dipoto gives an update on Hernandez as well.

In the second hour, manager Scott Servais joined us by phone from his home in Colorado and gave his thoughts on the near-complete team that will be handed to him in Peoria. How will he manage a roster that has everyday rookies in the lineup? How much will he use veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz? What did he learn in his first year managing, and how might a new rule in the CBA benefit him as a manager? He answers all those questions over the course of the interview.

In talking with both Dipoto and Servais, I couldn’t help but think back to a year ago when we did a similar show. At that point we really didn’t know much about the two. Many of us saw them as numbers guys, which they are certainly versed in and utilize, but I think it is hard to miss if you were paying any attention last year that a major emphasis for Servais was culture. I didn’t see that coming. I was hoping for balance, and I think we got it.

There were also quite a few out there who were concerned that Dipoto was not only hiring a manager who had never managed on a day-in, day-out basis, but who also was a close friend. From what I saw, the latter turned out to be a plus, as I thought it would. Good communication between the general manager and manager is crucial in this business, and there was no learning curve for these two. As we get ready for Year 2, it’s interesting to take a look back and see what questions were answered in Year 1.

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