MLB insider Jim Bowden: Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has ‘done a phenomenal job’

The Mariners didn’t add the front-line starting pitcher that people may have been hoping for before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training Wednesday, but baseball insider and former MLB general manager Jim Bowden isn’t pointing the finger at Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto for that.

“If Jerry Dipoto had the money, he’d go get a starter. You and I both know that,” Bowden said on Bob, Groz and Tom on Wednesday. “… If they wanted to give him some more resources and let him finish the job, bring in (free agent pitcher Jake) Arietta, bring in Lance Lynn, I think he would.”

Breaking down the Mariners: Lineup | Rotation | Bullpen

As it turns out, Bowden is a big fan of the job Dipoto has done in a little over two years on the job, especially when it comes to adding under-the-radar players about to break out on a budget.

“I think Jerry Dipoto’s done a phenomenal job,” said Bowden, who hosts shows for MLB Network Radio and writes for The Athletic. “He’s very good at getting guys before their prime. He’s never been afraid to go get a Ryon Healy, a Mitch Haniger. … He’s gotta be judged based on what he’s allowed to do with the checkbook, as well, but baseball-wise, yeah, he’s done well.”

Bowden covered several Mariners topics on Bob, Groz and Tom, including the lofty expectations James Paxton and Felix Hernandez face, where Seattle fits in the hierarchy of the American League, and why he thinks the M’s will finish around 82 to 85 wins in 2018. You can listen to a clip from that interview at the top of the post or hear the whole segment in this podcast.

Baseball insiders look at Mariners: Tim Kurkjian | Aaron Goldsmith

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