Veteran Seattle Reporter Issues Important Correction on Controversial Jerry Dipoto Comments
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Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto went on 93.3 KJR Thursday morning during a live broadcast of the "Chuck & Buck Show" at spring training in Peoria, Ariz.
As the interview was wrapping up, veteran Seattle television personality Aaron Levine of FOX13 put out a transcript of a Dipoto quote on "X," which quickly circulated through Mariners social media circles, creating quite a stir.
This is what Levine put out originally:
Dipoto: “We’re not a poor franchise. We are spending more than this organization has ever spent.” #Mariners
The reason why that post and those comments were controversial is because the Mariners payroll currently sits at $140-ish million, which is $20 million less than the payroll back in 2018. It was clear that the Ms are not spending more than they ever have.
Several hours later, Levine updated the post with a new version.
Upon a second listen, this is the exact quote from Dipoto: “We’re not a poor franchise. We are operating with one of the highest payrolls in the history of our organization.”
#Mariners
Upon a second listen, this is the exact quote from Dipoto: “We’re not a poor franchise. We are operating with one of the highest payrolls in the history of our organization.”#Mariners
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) February 20, 2025
Well, when put that way, Dipoto is technically right. According to Baseball Prospectus, The M's projected Opening Day payroll is the fifth-highest in franchise history.
Still, Mariners fans were upset to see how the offseason unfolded for the organization. After missing the playoffs by one game in 2024, fans wanted to see the team engage on big names like Anthony Santander, Juan Soto and Alex Bregman.
Instead, they opted for only one-year deals with Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano.
The Mariners open up Cactus League play on Friday afternoon against the San Diego Padres. Mariners on SI will have live coverage from the Peoria Sports Complex.
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