Mariners hire Jerry Dipoto to be new GM

 

 
The Seattle Mariners announced on Monday that they hired Former Angels’ GM Jerry Dipoto.

The Mariners had a vacant spot at GM since they fired Jack Zduriencik in August after seven disappointing seasons in Seattle. The Mariners failed to reach the playoffs this year and currently have the longest playoff drought in the majors at 14 years. 

Dipoto takes over a team who went into the season feeling good about themselves, after a 87-75 record in 2014. In the off season they signed Nelson Cruz, another big bat to go along with Robinson Cano, in hopes to revive a Stagnant offense. This season was suppose to be a step in the right direction, but instead it seemed like took a giant step backwards. 

With that being said, in comes Jerry Dipoto, a guy who has an eye for talent and also played in the big leagues. He pitched in the majors for eight seasons going 27-24 while playing for the Rockies, Mets and Indians before moving into the Front Office. 

The Mariners have a depleted farm system that needs to be rebuilt, and the big league club doesn’t have much they can move in order to replenish their Minor Leagues. 

One thing that impressed Mariners president Kevin Mather was the versatility Dipoto brought to the position. As a player, a scout and being in the front office of Major League ball clubs, he knows the in and outs of baseball down from the field all the way up to the sky box. 

Dipoto spent his last three and a half years as the Angels GM before a inner rift between him and Manager Mike Scioscia lead to his departure.

The question now is will Lloyd McClendon return as Manager for the M’s? Many feel his time in Seattle is over and the team is just waiting on the regular season to wrap up before making a move. The Mariners need to rebuild from the top to bottom, so this is a step in the right direction. Expect more moves to come in Seattle as they attempt to end this playoff drought in the near future.

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