The Mariners’ season ended with the kind of questions that don’t go away on their own, and this week’s interviews with Jerry Dipoto, Justin Hollander and John Stanton offered at least some of the candor fans were waiting for.
The most striking moment came from Hollander, who opened his Tuesday appearance on Seattle Sports with an apology.
“You guys deserve an explanation in person. Our fans do, the listeners do.
I feel terrible for the way this went. Apologies to everyone who watched the way we played all year.
To you guys who had to talk about it, to our fans, to Rick Rizzs. This was not the way it was supposed to go for Rick’s last year.”
That doesn’t fix anything by itself, and it doesn’t erase a disappointing year. But it did matter to hear a general manager start there.
Hollander also fielded questions about why the club didn’t act sooner with manager Dan Wilson, why the defense was so poor, how that area is being evaluated and why veteran free-agent right-handed bats have been such a dead end. The full interview, as a whole, was worth hearing.
Still, the bigger issue is what comes next. The Mariners need answers, not just regret.
One of the clearest threads from Hollander’s comments was the idea of accountability - and what that actually means inside a clubhouse. Asked about effort and responsibility, he pushed back on the notion that one player should carry the burden for everyone else.
“I don’t ever believe in the idea that there’s one accountability cop that walks through the clubhouse,” Hollander said. “I think there’s a perception on our team that Cal (Raleigh) is the leader, he should catch 135 games a year, he should switch-hit, he should hit 40 to 60 homers, and he should have every tough conversation that’s player to player in our clubhouse… I don’t think that works. I think there’s a culture that exists with teams where there are no good cops or bad cops, there are just standards.”
That last part lands. Standards are the thing that elite teams share, even when the personalities are different.
Leaders can speak up. Coaches can set the tone.
But everyone has to be pulling in the same direction, with the same expectations.
There are players on this Mariners team who fit that description in different ways - tough players, likable players, fun players, talented players. This was not a clubhouse that looked toxic from the outside.
But it also didn’t look like one where buy-in and constant effort were fully locked in. Building that in baseball is its own challenge, and it’s one the front office has to spend a lot of time on this offseason.
Then there’s the bigger, less comfortable question: how do the Mariners take the next step in a league where the richest clubs can operate on a different level?
That’s where Stanton’s comments, in an interview with KING 5 and in a Q&A with The Seattle Times, came into focus. The Mariners are not working with the Dodgers, Mets or Yankees kind of budget.
So when Stanton pushes back on the idea of handing out a huge 10-year deal to a superstar who might not be a reliable starter late in the contract, that’s a business judgment that makes sense even if not everyone agrees with it. The front office has leaned on the draft-develop-trade model for years because that’s the lane available to it.
But that lane has limits. The Mariners have a strong group of homegrown players, and that matters.
What they still need is the kind of addition that changes the shape of the roster, or the kind of improvement that pushes the core into a different tier. There’s a path from 76 wins to 86 that can be helped by internal growth - especially if they get the Aug.
16-Sept. 26 version of Cal Raleigh. Getting to 90 or 93 is a different kind of climb.
And that climb has been a long one. It has been 23 years since the Mariners last topped 90 wins, a span that has included the best offensive season ever from a catcher and the best full-season performance this franchise has had from a rotation. Even that wasn’t enough.
So the offseason has to produce something more than careful planning. The Mariners have to choose a discomfort: spend more, or move young, cheap talent. They need to do at least one of those things.
In Other News...
Mariners Add A Power Bat With One Roster Catch Ahead
The Mariners added a potential power bat to the organization on waivers, claiming first baseman Michael Toglia from the Cincinnati Reds, according to a team announcement. Toglia is coming off a stay on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury, and Seattle plans to place him on its own 60-day injured list to start, giving the club a low-risk way to bring in another left-handed option for the stretch run and beyond.
Toglia brings some versatility at a time when the Mariners are always looking for extra depth around first base, the corner outfield and designated hitter spots. The wrinkle is that he is out of minor league options, which means Seattle will not be able to stash him as easily once he is healthy, setting up a roster conversation that could carry into the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Have A Familiar Answer In Their Manager Search
The Mariners are again sorting through their managerial options after parting with Dan Wilson, and one familiar name is getting traction inside the conversation. Kristopher Negrn fits the kind of profile Seattle often leans toward in these searches: he knows the organization, has coaching experience, and has already spent time managing at the Triple-A level.
Jerry Dipoto has said he would prefer a manager with Major League experience, though he has not closed the door on a first-time hire, which keeps Negrn in the mix. He also has at least a small bit of big-league history in Seattle, having served as the Mariners manager for one game in 2022, and he most recently worked as the Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach, making him a known quantity in a search that still feels open-ended. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipotos Mariners Reset Just Got Even Harder
The Mariners have already begun reshaping the dugout, parting ways with Dan Wilson and assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes as the organization tries to claw back toward playoff contention. It is the kind of in-season correction that signals urgency, but it also underscores how much work still sits ahead for Jerry Dipoto and a front office trying to steady a club that has not met expectations.
Dipoto has acknowledged how difficult it is to make meaningful changes in the middle of a season, and the calendar does not offer much relief. With the looming MLB labor stoppage expected to limit communication between team personnel and players, Seattle is staring at a compressed offseason and the possibility of a shortened 2024 season if Collective Bargaining Agreement talks drag on. For a team trying to reset while staying competitive, the timing could hardly be less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]