Could winning now impact Jerry Dipoto’s approach to Mariners’ rebuild?
Apr 5, 2019, 12:42 AM
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto orchestrated a rebuild over the offseason. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seattle Mariners’ offseason was all about acquiring talent that could help the team be competitive early on in the next decade. But general manager Jerry Dipoto also added players that have helped the Mariners get off to the best start in franchise history.
Jim Moore breaks down his thoughts on the surprising Mariners
Should the Mariners turn their hot start into a winning season, could it prompt Dipoto to rethink the focus on the future to make the most of an opportunity to make the playoffs in 2019?
Dipoto answered that question on Thursday during The Jerry Dipoto Show on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny, Dave and Moore, and – for now – the future is still what he’s most concerned about.
“Our focus remains on the big picture, and this has been a fun step for us, no doubt,” Dipoto said about Seattle’s 7-1 record through its first eight games. “… One of the things we committed to this offseason and we remain committed to is the idea of building for a longer, sustained run than just trying to compete for a second wild card.”
He’ll be open-minded, however.
“Each team deserves for you to pay attention to their results, and obviously this team right now is letting us know in a pretty loud way they’re better than maybe they were given credit for in the public view,” he said. “You have to pay attention.”
And if there’s a way to help a Mariners team suddenly in a playoff race, Dipoto hopes he and his staff will find a way to have their cake and eat it too.
“If we get down to July and we’re in this thing, I think we’ve shown we’re a pretty aggressive group. We’re also pretty creative, I think. My hope is we’re able to address some needs on this club and give this group as much of a chance as we can for them to win as many games as they can win without taking away from our long-term projection. Because we have restocked the farm, we are so excited a lot of the prospects that we have coming, and we’re not going to take away from that for one shot at a wild card. But we’re not going to ignore it, either.
“Everything comes with give and take, and we’ll figure out how much we need to give and how much we should take when that time comes, or if it comes.”
Also from Thursday’s Jerry Dipoto Show
Dipoto not shocked by Mariners’ start: ‘There’s a lot of talent on this team’
