Seattle Mariners Executive Jerry Dipoto Issues Curious Statement on Prospect Cole Young

Does Dipoto actually believe this, or is there a deeper meaning here?

Seattle Mariners second base Cole Young (92) hits against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 9. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Speaking at the MLB Winter Meetings down in Dallas, Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto issued a quizzical comment on second base prospect Cole Young.

Per Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710:

Dipoto also noted they have been "very aggressive" in talking with other teams about trades that include the upper end of the M's prospect system. Listed Locklear and Cole Young as "ready to go," and said 3B Ben Williamson would likely start at AAA.

Dipoto also noted they have been "very aggressive" in talking with other teams about trades that include the upper end of the M's prospect system. Listed Locklear and Cole Young as "ready to go," and said 3B Ben Williamson would likely start at AAA.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) December 9, 2024

First and foremost, what does Dipoto mean by "ready to go?" Does he mean that Young is ready to be the Mariners starting second baseman? If so, that runs counter to what the team has indicated all offseason about Young starting the year in Triple-A. Does he mean that Young is ready to be an impact player for another organization if he's traded? If so, why is Dipoto talking so publicly about potentially trading a guy that the team has supposedly been excited about for years?

Or is Dipoto just trying to drum up interest in Young as he looks for ways to improve the team?

We won't really know what Dipoto means until we see the rest of the M's offseason play out, but we do know that the team has an extensive offseason in front of them.

After finishing in second place in the American League West and missing the playoffs by 1.0 game, the M's have needs to fill at second base, third base and they could stand to find another bullpen arm or two. And they have all of $15-20 million to spend this offseason.

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