The Mariners made a difficult decision regarding their president of baseball operations.
Before the start of this season, Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto was confident in the team’s chances of making a World Series run in 2024. However, following a second-half collapse, Dipoto admitted the team’s offensive struggles contributed to a disappointing season.
In response, the Mariners made a significant change by firing long-time manager Scott Servais in late August and appointing former player Dan Wilson as his replacement. Despite the team’s struggles, Dipoto will retain his role, with the Mariners keeping him at the helm of the front office, as reported by Seattle Times Sports on X. While details of his contract extension remain unclear, Dipoto is expected to stay with the team through next season and potentially beyond 2025.
Dipoto joined the Mariners’ front office as general manager at the end of the 2015 season and was promoted to president of baseball operations in late 2021. In his first two full seasons as president, the Mariners compiled a 178-146 record, and under his eight-year tenure in the front office, the team had a 616-578 record heading into 2024. Although the Mariners have only reached the playoffs once during Dipoto’s time, their 2022 Wild Card appearance was particularly significant as it ended a 21-year playoff drought.
Mariners manager Scott Servais is gone but Jerry Dipoto will return as president
Seattle began the 2024 season on fire, largely thanks to having the best starting rotation in baseball. By mid-June, the Mariners had built a 10-game lead in the American League West. However, the team struggled in the second half, allowing the Houston Astros to erase the gap and take over the division lead.
Heading into Thursday’s games, the Mariners are 4.5 games behind the first-place Astros and sit five games out of the AL Wild Card race, trailing the Kansas City Royals for the final playoff spot. Since the All-Star break, Seattle has posted a 19-24 record, while the Astros have kept up the pressure with a 25-19 mark.
In an effort to boost their struggling offense, the Mariners made moves at the trade deadline, acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays and veteran Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays.
While Arozarena’s addition bolstered the outfield alongside two-time All-Star Julio Rodríguez in center and recently extended Victor Robles in right, the trade deadline moves didn’t significantly improve the offense. Seattle remains near the bottom of the league in key offensive categories such as batting average, home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage, OPS, WPA, and fWAR.
As a result, the Mariners risk wasting an outstanding season from their starting pitchers. The team has fallen to 18th in the latest MLB Power Rankings, and Seattle fans are once again looking to GM Jerry Dipoto to bolster the roster in hopes of a playoff push next season.
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