The Seattle Mariners have done it. In the face of history, legions of doubters (this author of course very much included), and the best baseball organization on the planet in their own division they have built a roster on the precipice of World Series contention. With a true superstar in Julio Rodriguez locked in place for the next decade, Cal Raleigh potentially providing the best catcher play in franchise history, and a slew of dazzling arms both in starting and relief roles the Mariners’ immediate and broader future is a limitless horizon of possibility.

It’s a fabulous achievement, one Jerry Dipoto, his front office, Scott Servias, the players, all the way down to farm, administration, and clubhouse staffers can and should feel good about. After back-to-back 90 win seasons and the organization’s first playoff appearance in 20 years the future is, without a hint of irony or cynicism, truly bright. Bravo.

In light of that achievement, of what not only has been done but what appears possible, Jerry Dipoto went on the radio yesterday on Seattle Sports 710 and……well….you can listen yourself:

Jerry Dipoto prides himself on his honesty and transparency. He is quite popular with local media in no small part because of this fact. The man is willing to say what he thinks, albeit run through a technobabble filter that makes every baseball decision sound like a software upgrade. That said, I’d like to offer him honesty and transparency in return. This:

Is not something Mariner fans need to care about in 2022. The idea of saving on payroll as a means to leverage a splurge towards contention back in, say, 2019 was, while still specious, at least in line with common fan speak. The traditional structure of a tear down and rebuild involves being bad and cheap for a while, so that you can then be good and less concerned with payroll in the future. 

That job, as outlined in the beginning of this piece, is largely done. The Mariners have completed that task! They are good right now, with a roster capable of contending for a World Series next year with smart and savvy additions. That is what fans care about, and rightly so! It is understandable and fair to say that in the midst of that pursuit it is Jerry Dipoto’s job to think and worry about the state of the 2026 organization. It is not fair for him to have any expectation for fans to share those concerns.

This loose concept that because a person in power offers common people a peek behind the curtain those commoners are beholden to share power’s concern, is not new, either to the Mariners or society more broadly. As data filters through more and more of every moment of our lives we are more and more regularly expected to simply accept that every second, every interaction, every transaction is simply a shell game by which the rich and powerful increase and entrench their interests. It’s clear, from Kevin Mather’s comfort level with the Bellevue Rotary Club to Jerry Dipoto’s trademarked “transparency” that for the Mariners there is little perceived risk in simply offering every day fans a clear look into the sausage factory, knowing you’re going to slobber up the gruel regardless of how the blood and viscera turns your stomach.

It’s telling, and fairly common, that in the middle of this transparent look at the process Dipoto felt compelled to offer information that does not appear to pass even logical cursory scrutiny. The bigger concern is that the Mariners’ President of Baseball Operations, with what is supposedly the pinnacle of his profession staring him right in the face, is spending media time explaining to fans why they need to care about 2026. That, after nearly 50 years of failure, the Mariners’ organization’s driving impetus is not to win the 2023 World Series is bad enough, but to expect us to applaud them for it is something else entirely.