Seattle Mariners' Jerry Dipoto Talks About Frustration with Team's Spending Habits
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It was a generally frustrating offseason for the Seattle Mariners as the team elected to largely sit out free agency despite having several needs which needed addressing.
The M's entered the offseason with holes at first base, second base and third base, as well as the bullpen (although not as prevalent), and elected to fill them by only signing Donovan Solano and Jorge Polanco to one-year deals.
Most fans wanted to see the Mariners shop at the top of the food chain and get involved in conversations for Pete Alonso, Juan Soto or Anthony Santander, but it just didn't happen, leading fans to question the ownership's passion for winning.
Speaking in a radio interview with 93.3 KJR on Thursday morning at spring training, M's President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto addressed the team's apparent lack of spending and the financial situation of the organization.
Per Aaron Levine of FOX13, who was on-site for the interview.
Dipoto: “We’re not a poor franchise. We are spending more than this organization has ever spent.” #Mariners
Dipoto: “We’re not a poor franchise. We are spending more than this organization has ever spent.” #Mariners
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) February 20, 2025
That's not entirely true. It's fair to acknowledge that even though the M's aren't spending big in free agency, they are spending in terms of salary increases. Cal Raleigh, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert all made more this year through arbitration, and Julio Rodriguez's monster extension is really starting to take off. So, the team is spending money, even if not on outside help.
However, Spotrac currently has the M's payroll at about $140 million. Back in 2018, the M's payroll was listed at $160 million, so to say it's "more than the organization has ever spent," is not true.
The Mariners open up Cactus League play on Friday against the San Diego Padres.
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