Mariners GM Dipoto to keep a number of key front office members

By Shannon Drayer

It appears the overhaul of the Mariners front office by General Manager Jerry Dipoto may not be as extensive as many thought it would be.

While key assistants to Jack Zduriencik -including Ted Simmons, Pete Vukovich and Joe McIlvaine- were told their contracts would not be renewed, as Greg Johns of MLB.com first reported and the team has since confirmed, Assistant General Manager Jeff Kingston, Amateur Scouting Director Tom McNamara and Pro Scouting Director Tom Allison will be retained.

Dipoto has said he wanted to have the “engine room” taken care of before the start of meetings season in early November and with most organizational contracts expiring October 31, there is still time to make changes, although I am told at this time, this is most likely it.

The biggest changes will come on the player development side of the organization with a number of minor league coaches and coordinators not being renewed and Chris Gwynn, the director of player development, resigning. Dipoto will look to implement a new system in the minors with new personnel.

“The player development systems and programs that I intend to bring in are probably a little different and maybe a tick more cutting edge than the Mariners are used to,” he said in a recent interview on “Danny Dave and Moore”.

The changes appear to be less drastic in the front office. In his introductory press conference and interviews that followed Dipoto was very complimentary of a number of front office members including Kingston, McNamara and Allison. He assured those in attendance at that press conference that he was “100 percent sure that many of the people you see here today are going to be key figures as we go forward.”

Dipoto will bring in additions from outside the organization and roles for those staying could change as they have yet to be finalized, but for now it appears the major moves have been made.

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