The Seattle Mariners are headed into the final series before the trade deadline with the season hanging in a rough spot, and that naturally puts Jerry Dipoto back in the spotlight.
Seattle has dropped six of its last nine, sliding from first place in the American League West to third. The Mariners are now 2.5 games behind the Texas Rangers, sitting at 53-57 and four games under .500 for the first time since late May. In the wild card race, they trail the Cleveland Guardians by 3.0 games, with the Orioles, Twins and Astros all ahead of them.
The timing makes the next few days even trickier. Texas and Houston, which is just 0.5 games back of the Rangers, play each other this weekend, so Seattle’s path to making up ground is not exactly clean even if it handles the Minnesota Twins well. Fangraphs now gives the Mariners less than a 50 percent chance to reach the playoffs.
That’s the backdrop for the questions swirling around the organization. Some fans want manager Dan Wilson gone.
Others have aimed their frustration at Dipoto, the front office leader who has become one of the most scrutinized figures in the sport. Joel Sherman of MLB Network said Dipoto is under as much pressure as any executive this trade deadline season.
ESPN’s Buster Olney, though, sees it differently. On the most recent “Refuse to Lose Territory,” he was asked whether Dipoto is feeling major heat or whether last year’s run to the ALCS gives him some breathing room.
"Yeah, I think it buys him time. And I think the fact that the team, you know, the general perception of the team is that it is underperforming. I mean, I don't know how you could blame Jerry Dipoto for what's happened with some of the main guys on the team...
I'd say this: If I were to draw up a list of the general managers, you know, heads of baseball operations, under the most pressure, he would not be in the top five. I think there are other teams that are under more pressure because of what happened last year. That buys you a get-out-of-jail-free card.
A year ago, we were talking about the Toronto Blue Jays, who hadn't been to the playoffs in a long time. And Mark Shapiro, their team president, his contract was set to expire. That was a guy under pressure.
I don't feel that about Jerry Dipoto right now. Maybe I'm wrong."
Dipoto has now spent 10 full seasons with the Mariners, and this is his 11th. During that stretch, Seattle has made the playoffs twice, picked up two series wins - in the 2022 wild card and the 2025 ALDS - and reached the American League Championship Series in 2025.
He’s also built a reputation as a strong drafter, with the Mariners’ core featuring homegrown names like Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Cole Young and Colt Emerson.
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JP Crawfords absence is creating a real ripple for the Mariners at a time when every roster call seems to carry extra weight. He will not be in the lineup against the Dodgers, and Seattle has not yet made a roster move, but the club is weighing whether an injured list stint makes sense as it sorts through the shortstop situation. In the meantime, Colt Emmerson is set to handle the position, giving the Mariners at least a temporary answer while they decide how cautious to be.
The larger issue is what this means beyond one game. Seattle has to balance the immediate need to cover shortstop with the possibility that any longer-term move around Crawford could affect the rest of its planning, especially with the deadline picture always looming in the background. For now, the Mariners are left with a familiar kind of uncertainty: enough information to know the path is changing, but not yet enough to know how far it will go. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face A George Kirby Deadline Dilemma Fans Will Hate
The Mariners are staring at a familiar deadline problem, only this one comes with an especially uncomfortable name attached. Seattle wants help, and it makes sense why: the roster could use a right-handed bat and another reliever, and the front office has at least kicked around the idea of using George Kirby as the kind of chip that could open bigger doors.
What makes the discussion so tricky is the standard Kirby would have to clear. This is not the sort of arm you move for a modest upgrade, and any serious deal would need to bring back a true difference-maker rather than just patching one hole. That is what makes the deadline conversation so tense for the Mariners, because the possibilities are tantalizing enough to imagine, but the price of getting there is the kind of decision that can reshape a season. [Read more 🡒]