With the pre-spring training luncheon and news conference no longer an annual occurrence and the signing of infielder Jorge Polanco officially announced Monday, the Mariners made Jerry Dipoto available to the media via video conference to discuss an offseason that most would classify as “uneventful,” and others would label “uninspiring.”
Of course, the Mariners president of baseball operations didn’t share the same pessimistic outlook or assessment as the fan base or various media outlets. He certainly wouldn’t lament the lack of a significant payroll budget from the ownership. Instead, he referenced the impromptu media session at the end of the 2024 season where he talked about the core of the roster for 2025 being largely in place.
“I think the positive trend that developed over the season’s final six weeks, the way we saw our team come together, especially notable was the uptick we saw in our offense and the group generally played well together,” he said. “And one of our points going into this offseason, and I know I made it sitting in the dugout in the final series, was that we didn’t anticipate a great deal of movement around the team. As we are now about a week away from heading to spring training, I’d say that probably played out to be spot on, much to, I think, the dismay of a few. But we have a good team.”
“Few” might be an understatement.
The overwhelming sentiment within the fan base and around baseball is that bringing back Polanco and signing veteran utilityman Donovan Solano to a one-year contract wasn’t enough to fix an offense that was among the worst in baseball for much of last season.
But Dipoto believes the philosophical changes to the hitters’ approach and mentality implemented under new manager Dan Wilson and hitting coach Edgar Martinez in the final 34 games offered a more representative example of what the offense could and should be.
“We feel like our offense doesn’t get enough credit for the things that they do well,” Dipoto said. “Dan and Edgar, once they jumped on board in August, I think there was a different vibe around our team. With a few exceptions, I think just about anything that we could hope to have achieved over the last six weeks of the season, from uptick in play on the field to improved offense to just to winning games, we were as good as anybody in the league for that time.”
The Mariners posted a 21-13 record over that span, averaging 5.08 runs per game with a .255/.347/.417 slash line and a 23.7% strikeout rate. Conversely, Seattle averaged 3.9 runs per game with a .216/.301/.365 slash line and 27.7% strikeout rate in the first 128 games.
“I think there is the reality of our offense, and then the perception of our offense,” Dipoto said. “We play in a tough ballpark to hit in. Our offense has generally been above average based on advanced metrics, WRC+ and things like that for a number of years now. The last three years, we’ve actually had a very stable offense that’s particularly good on the road. We didn’t feel like we needed to do a whole lot, but to find ways to support the group that we had. I know the offseason has been long and seemingly slow, but we do feel like we made a lot of progress last year.”
Although the offseason technically isn’t over, the Mariners aren’t expected to make any major moves in the coming weeks. With the front office unwilling to invest in something more than a meager increase of payroll budget, Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander had roughly $15 million available to spend on free agency.
They used most of it on Solano ($3.5 million) and Polanco ($7.75 million).
“We’re still open, if the opportunity to add exists out there,” Dipoto said. “But we feel like this is a good team, and if this is our team going into spring training or opening day, we’re pretty excited by it.”
Seattle sent four players to the Twins in exchange for Polanco late last offseason. The Mariners believed he would solidify second base and be a middle-of-the-order presence. However, the veteran switch hitter was hampered by knee and hamstring issues that would eventually require offseason surgery on his left patellar tendon.
Playing through the discomfort, he put up career-low numbers at the plate — a .213/.296/.355 slash line with 11 doubles, 16 homers and 45 RBI and a 29% strikeout rate in 118 games. The Mariners created some payroll flexibility by choosing to not exercise Polanco’s $12 million club option on his previous contract.
So why bring him back?
“Physically, he looks great,” Dipoto said. “We had a chance to watch his workouts on video, and we had an opportunity to visit live. We stayed in touch throughout the offseason. Obviously, our medical team was front and center in the original scheduling of the surgery, and then visiting with him throughout his rehab, up to and including when we opted not to pick up the club option. They’ve stayed in contact with him through the offseason. He looks more explosive.”
The Mariners believe that third base will be better for him and their overall defense.
“The most obvious piece of information is just how much easier it is for him to stop his momentum when moving forward, when he has that burst, or even side-to-side movement,” Dipoto said. “The simple drills, baseball drills that toward season’s end did look painful for Jorge. They no longer look that way. He says he feels great. I believe him.”
Have they improved enough to compete for a division title or a return to the postseason? The projection systems have them winning from 84-86 games.
“If you look at our division, I think (the A’s) got better,” Dipoto said. “There’s no question they got better. The Angels, very early in the offseason, made a flurry of moves. They’ve got some new faces. Houston is going to look different than they’ve looked in recent years, at least as we sit here today. The Rangers reconstructed a bullpen and changed some faces on the pitching staff. But we feel like we are right in the mix. The early projection systems feel like we are right in the mix.”
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