The Seattle Mariners took a huge leap in 2022, tallying a solid 90-72 record en route an ALDS appearance, losing to eventual World Series champion Houston Astros. They finally broke what was the longest current postseason drought in North American major sports leagues, and they will look to build off of what was an immensely successful season.
If anything, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto revealed that they are planning to maximize a position of strength – their pitching depth – and perhaps bolster other areas of the roster that are in need of reinforcements.
“We’re getting hit constantly, up and down, with our bullpen, our starters. […] With what might be some type of pitching surplus, we will if we can put that into play to answer other needs, even in part to try and fill some of the holes we have on our team right now, which are a middle infielder and potentially two corner outfielders,” Dipoto said, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).
With Taylor Trammell and Jarred Kelenic projected to be the Mariners' starting corner outfielders for next season (according to Fangraphs), it's not difficult to see why Dipoto would want to improve their depth in those positions. Trammell batted under the Mendoza line last season, while being unable to compensate for it with elite ability to get on base, while Kelenic has failed to carry over his Minor League form in the early goings of his Majors career.
As for the middle infield, J.P. Crawford and Dylan Moore were a solid enough middle infield duo, as they combined for a 4.1 WAR, but for them to build off last year's performance, a shortstop/second base upgrade won't be the worst thing in the world, although it won't be too high on their priority list.
Rosenthal mentioned Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen as potential trade bait for the Mariners as they look to capitalize on a position of strength. However, Jerry Dipoto said that they don't necessarily want to deplete what should be the strength of their team.
“We’re unlikely to be too aggressive in moving away from our bullpen. We want to add to it, not necessarily subtract from it,” Dipoto added.
At the end of the day, Dipoto has certainly earned the trust of the Mariners fanbase, and they will be confident in his ability to sustain the Mariners' status as playoff contenders especially with Julio Rodriguez set to lead the squad for the foreseeable future.
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