Brady's Spin: Jerry Dipoto's Interview with The Athletic Wasn't Bad, it Was Just Unnecessary
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Between the recent Justin Turner interview with USA Today and the even-more recent Jerry Dipoto interview with The Athletic, it's been a big week in non-baseball news for the Seattle Mariners.
Turner's comments shed light nationally on the team's lack of spending and overall commitment to winning while Dipoto's interview attempted to paint himself as a victim of fan outrage, while also justifying his infamous "54 percent" comments, among other things.
Nearly every time Jerry Dipoto speaks publicly nowadays, there's an uproar.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) March 6, 2025
I sat down with Dipoto, the Mariners' president of baseball ops, to discuss his communication style, his team, and the backlash he receives.
Read: https://t.co/4ahuGSPmk0 pic.twitter.com/EVaubx3kaE
We spoke about both articles on the most recent edition of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast, and frankly, I just land right here:
With regards to the Dipoto interview, specifically, it was just unncessary. Dipoto didn't say anything inherantly bad and he didn't say much that he hasn't really said before. As a result, I'm not "outraged" by his comments, and you shouldn't be either.
However, the lack of self-awareness is what's startling to me. If Dipoto knows that his public comments elicit a strong negative response, why go out of your way to make more public comments? Especially ones that don't curry up good favor? While Dipoto's interview wasn't inherently bad, there was nothing inherently good in there either.
And for a guy, and an organization, that need public relations wins, this doesn't seem to be one. Unfortunately, it's helped take the focus off what's been a pretty productive and positive camp for the Mariners. And that's the real shame in it all. Everyone was starting to focus on baseball again, and now, it's all this other stuff once more.
You can hear the full podcast, which features 3x major league All-Star Sean Casey, below:
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," where he talks about the recent Justin Turner comments and their impact, as well as the Jerry Dipoto interview in The Athletic. Also, former All-Star Sean Casey of the MLB Network stops by to talk about his memories of the 2001 All-Star Game in Seattle, hitting coach Edgar Martinez, and the Turner comments. CLICK HERE:
MUNOZ CATCHING EYES: Andres Munoz was named as one of the Top 10 players drawing positive attention this spring, per ESPN. CLICK HERE:
RETURNING: Jorge Polanco told the Seattle Times why he wanted to come back to Seattle this offseason. CLICK HERE:
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