Mariners sign GM Jerry Dipoto to multi-year extension

The Seattle Mariners have signed Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Dipoto to a multi-year extension, the team announced Friday.

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Dipoto, who was hired to the role in September 2015, is overseeing one of the best starts in franchise history for the Mariners. The team enters Friday with a 56-32 record and is second in the AL West. He has been responsible for the acquisitions of shortstop Jean Segura, outfielder Mitch Haniger, second baseman Dee Gordon and left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc, among others.

“Jerry arrived here two-and-a-half years ago with a specific plan for our franchise,” Mariners President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mather said in a statement. “He has successfully executed that plan, resulting in a younger, more athletic and, most importantly, far more successful Major League team.

“At the same time, he has upgraded nearly every aspect of our overall baseball operation, improving systems, staff and communication in our Major League operations, our Player Development system, our Pro and Amateur scouting departments and our revamped High-Performance Area.”

After joining the Mariners, Dipoto hired Scott Servais as manager despite Servais having no previous experience at any level as a manager. The Mariners finished 86-76 in the duo’s first year in 2016 and 78-84 in 2017, a season in which the roster was heavily impacted by injuries.

“As I said when I arrived here, I believe this organization has every opportunity to be successful on a consistent basis,” Dipoto said. “The combination of a supportive ownership group, great ballpark, passionate fan base and beautiful city gives us all the tools we need to consistently compete for division titles, and division titles give us the opportunity to attain our primary goal: Winning the Word Series here in Seattle.”

Dipoto began his career in baseball as a relief pitcher, spending eight seasons with the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Colorado Rockies. After retiring from playing in spring training of 2001 due to a bulging disc in his neck, he moved on to front office roles. He was a special assistant with the Rockies from 2001-02, then spent two seasons as a scout for the Red Sox. In 2005 he re-joined the Rockies as Director of Player Personnel, took on a Vice President of Player Personnel role with Arizona from 2006-10 and became the interim General Manager for the Diamondbacks in July 2010. From October 2011 to July 2015, he served as General Manager for the Angels. He stepped down from the Angels and spent a few months as a special assistant with Boston before replacing Jack Zduriencik as Mariners GM.

The Mariners have scheduled a 2 p.m. Friday press conference where Dipoto, Mather and team chairman John Stanton will speak about Dipoto’s extension. We will have more on 710Sports.com about this developing story following the press conference.

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