New Mariners regime tackling tasks with aplomb

There’s been much change with the Seattle Mariners since Jerry Dipoto took over as general manager in September. The team’s pre-spring training media luncheon Thursday gave him and the rest of the organization a chance to talk about and explain those changes. I wrote stories about some of those changes this week.

First, there’s the changes we all can see. Seattle’s roster underwent a radical overhaul over the course of two months, with Dipoto making 11 trades and signing five free agents. Dipoto thinks those personnel changes not only improved the team, but executed his grand offseason plan. He said he believes the playoffs are an attainable goal for 2016.

Second, there’s the changes that are more subtle. Dipoto and new manager Scott Servais have talked a lot about changing the culture with the Mariners, and the first step toward changing the culture is improving the communication within the organization. Assistant general manager Jeff Kingston shared a story about how the team failed young players Mike Zunino and Chris Taylor last season because of poor communication, and the Mariners want to make sure those type of problems are eradicated.

Third, in case you missed it, there was also an update on Seattle’s injured players, including second baseman Robinson Cano expecting to be back at full strength after undergoing offseason abdominal surgery.

I’ll have another story in next Sunday’s paper examining the radical changes the Mariners are making with player development behind new farm director Andy McKay, including perspective from the Everett AquaSox, so look for that next week.