John Stanton didn’t exactly calm the noise around the Mariners on Monday. If anything, he gave fans more reason to roll their eyes.
After Seattle’s season ended in a messy, emotional way on Sunday, the front office made its rounds the next day. Jerry Dipoto took his share of the criticism. Stanton mostly tried to push back on the idea that he should sell the team, and that’s the part that’s drawing the most attention.
During an interview on King 5 News’ “Ultimate Seattle Sports Show,” Stanton was asked about the calls for Mariners ownership to sell after the club missed the postseason. His answer landed like a brick.
"Selling the team is an inherently risky proposition, in that you don't know what the interest of the new owner will be," Stanton said, later adding: "We're committed to staying here. We're also committed to winning."
That’s a tough sell to a fan base that has spent years waiting for the organization to take the next real step. And it’s especially hard to square with the financial picture.
The Mariners have climbed in payroll every year for the last five seasons, but the numbers still tell a pretty clear story. Seattle opened 2021 at $73,414,600, which ranked 25th in MLB. The club then moved to $103,901,114 in 2022, $137,455,661 in 2023, $139,638,647 in 2024, $145,947,814 in 2025 and $161,845,381 in 2026.
That’s progress, sure. But it’s also progress from the bottom half of the league, and even this year’s franchise-high payroll only put the Mariners in the middle of the pack at 16th.
The inflation piece matters too. Seattle’s previous franchise-high payroll before 2026 was $157.9 million in 2018, and that figure would be $211 million in today’s dollars. By that standard, this year’s actual payroll came in about $50 million short.
There’s also the larger on-field argument Stanton can point to. Since the start of 2021, the Mariners are ninth in wins out of 30 teams, even after finishing 76-86 this season.
That’s a decent case for competence. It’s also not the kind of record that quiets fans who see teams like the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs sitting below Seattle in that same span, with bigger resources to work with.
And that’s where Stanton’s defense starts to fall apart. He wants credit for commitment and improvement, but the numbers still leave the same old question hanging over the franchise: is this enough, or just enough to keep things from truly breaking open?
For a lot of Mariners fans, the answer is obvious. Stanton can talk about staying and winning all he wants. It still doesn’t add up to a convincing case.
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