A Month Later, The Mariners Still Don't Have That Next Rotation Arm
Going into the winter meetings in early December, GM Jerry Dipoto wanted to insert a veteran arm into the Mariners rotation. A month later, Dipoto is still searching for the right guy to bring to Seattle.
Dipoto has not been a “wait and see” kind of general manager since joining the Mariners nearly a year and a half ago.
Towards the end of 2015, he cleaned house, making a plethora of deals at the major and minor league levels. His goal: to instantly make his own footprint on the Mariners franchise.
Dipoto’s moves have transformed the M’s into serious playoff contenders.
Last month, he vowed to help strengthen the rotation even more than he already has, but has uncharacteristically been silent, with no deal in sight.
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The Mariners would have benefited greatly had they picked up a free agent pitcher like Rich Hill, Ivan Nova or Derek Holland, but they were all snatched up by other teams.
There were trade rumors linking them to other players too such as Drew Pomeranz, Jose Quintana, and Anthony DeSclafani, but yet again, nothing developed into more than chatter.
There has been increased talk, though, about the M’s taking Jason Hammel and Doug Fister via free agency, so maybe a deal is nearing after all.
One reason that Dipoto isn’t very itching to make a deal could be because he feels fairly confident about the rotation as it stands thanks to his additions of Rob Whalen and Chris Heston and the return of Nathan Karns from the disabled list, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get even better.
Dipoto still has time to finagle a deal with three months left before opening day. Whether he does it in free agency or by a trade is yet to be seen.
What seems to be most frustrating about this whole ordeal is the waiting, not knowing if the M’s will go after someone or if they won’t. If there was more clarity, it would put many fans at ease.
