NASHVILLE, Tenn. — And now, it appears, general manager Jerry Dipoto might be ready to hit the pause button in his frenetic efforts to overhaul the Seattle Mariners’ roster.
Dipoto filled the club’s need for a first baseman Wednesday morning by acquiring Adam Lind from Milwaukee in a trade for three teen-aged minor-league pitchers: Daniel Missaki, Carlos Herrera and Freddy Peralta.
“(Lind) has been a target of ours throughout the offseason,” Dipoto said. “He has historically torched right-handed pitching. He gets on base. He manages the strike zone well. He doesn’t strike out for a guy with power.
“It’s a nice package for us.”
Dipoto said the only remaining item on his offseason checklist is to add a proven relief pitcher — most likely a free agent — who could compete with Joaquin Benoit for duty as the closer.
Any other acquisitions are likely to be minor-league free agents.
“We’ve done a lot of business the last two months,” Dipoto said, “but I like the way our team has shaped up. I think it’s a more complete and well-rounded team.
“I don’t see a position on the field that looks like a sinkhole. I think we’ve built a good, solid group, and that we’ve raised the floor. This is what we wanted to do, and we got where we wanted to go. Now, we can settle down.”
Lind, 32, is a left-handed hitting first baseman who batted .277 last season in 149 games with 20 home runs and 87 RBI. He is under contract next season for $8 million before becoming a free agent.
“I always enjoyed playing (in Seattle),” Lind said. “I was fortunate to watch Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista hit for a long time (in Toronto).
“Now, I get to watch Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano hit a lot, and work with (hitting coach) Edgar Martinez. It’ll be a good experience for my baseball career.”
The Mariners cleared space for Lind on their 40-man roster by designating first baseman Andy Wilkins for assignment. They acquired Wilkins on Dec. 2 in a waiver claim from Baltimore.
Because Lind historically struggles against left-handed pitchers, the trade could open a roster spot for Jesus Montero as the first baseman against left-handed pitchers.
“Right now, Jesus slots very well with Adam Lind,” Dipoto said. “We know Jesus can hit, and it’s going to be incumbent on him to come to spring training and show us he can be the other guy at first base.”
To date, the Mariners have moved 41 players on or off their 40-man roster since the end of the season.
The 19 acquisitions consist of 12 players acquired in seven trades, four free-agent signings and three waiver claims.
That includes three trades this week at the Winter Meetings, which conclude Thursday with the Rule 5 Draft.
On Monday, the Mariners responded to Hisashi Iwakuma’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers by acquiring Wade Miley along with reliever Jonathan Aro from Boston for Carson Smith and Roenis Elias.
The bullpen makeover continued Tuesday in a deal that brought Evan Scribner from Oakland for minor-league reliever Trey Cochran-Gill.
Next came Wednesday’s trade to obtain Lind for three minor-league pitchers:
—Missaki, 19, was 1-2 with a 3.41 ERA last season in six starts at Lo-A Clinton before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.
—Peralta, 19, was 2-3 with a 4-11 ERA in 11 games in the Arizona Rookie League.
—Herrera, 18, was 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 14 starts in the Dominican Summer League.
“We’ve changed the periphery,” Dipoto said. “The base remains. (Robinson) Cano and (Kyle) Seager and Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez and Taijuan Walker. They’re all still here.
“What we did was we elevated the ground around them. We were going to have to create a new culture in what we were doing from the front office through the manager in the dugout to on the field and the style of play.”
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