The Seattle Mariners have hired Jerry Dipoto as their new general manager, as the team announced on Monday that the former Angels GM will take over for Jack Zduriencik, who was fired earlier in the summer.
The Mariners have been searching for a new general manager since August after the team moved on from Zduriencik, who could not get the team back to the postseason after seven years on the job. According to ESPN.com, the team announced the news on Monday that Dipoto would be taking over as executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations.
Dipoto is 47-years-old and he comes in after previously resigning from his job with the Los Angeles Angels after having "disagreements" with manager Mike Scioscia. Team president Kevin Mather said that Dipoto has a "unique skill set" among general managers, as he previously played in the major leagues and worked in various jobs in the front office. The Mariners have missed the playoffs for over a decade and once the Blue Jays make it this year, they will have the longest drought in baseball.
Dipoto previously was the general manager of the Angels from October 2011 until this season and now he takes over for the Mariners. Some of the notable deals that Dipoto was involved with include Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Huston Street and Zack Greinke. Dipoto has a reputation of analytics and scouting coming into the Mariners job and that is something that the organization is ready to embrace.
The Mariners have had a disappointing season after winning 85 games and finishing one game out of the second wild card in 2014. The team had expectations of competing for the AL West division title after signing Nelson Cruz, but the team never found their footing and they were eliminated officially from postseason contention this week. The team has not been in the mix for most of the season and now they head into 2016 looking to find a way to get back to the playoffs.
Dipoto has one major decision for the end of the season, as manager Lloyd McClendon still has one year left on his contract. McClendon said he spoke with Dipoto after he was hired and that the two had a good conversation about things heading into the end of the season. Whether McClendon returns or not, the Mariners should have playoff expectations again next season.
The team has a core of Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez, Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz and the Mariners are expected to keep Hisashi Iwakuma in free agency. The Mariners have a number of holes, including in the outfield and the back of the rotation, but there are some young players like Taijuan Walker and James Paxton (when healthy) that have been impressive. Dipoto will need to re-stock the farm system after multiple years of declining rankings and free agency also could be a way for the Mariners to improve.
Check here for more on the Mariners and Dipoto.
"I'm honored to be joining the Mariners family," Dipoto said in a press release from the team. "As the 2015 season draws to a close, we have a great fan base, ballpark and organization, providing a great opportunity for success. I truly look forward to both the challenges and rewards to come as we chart a fresh course for the future of Mariners baseball."
