5 questions facing Mariners heading into 2018

SEATTLE -- Jerry Dipoto never lacks for ideas. Or roster moves.
The Mariners' general manager has made 64 trades in the 27 months since taking over Seattle's baseball operations, including another seven this offseason in the latest attempt to find the right mix of players and production.
The effort is aimed toward answering the biggest question hanging over the franchise's head: When will the Mariners end baseball's longest postseason drought and get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001?

To answer successfully, the Mariners will need to first solve other questions. Here are the five biggest ones facing Dipoto & Co. as we head into the new year:
1. Can the rotation stay healthy?
Dipoto made a huge effort to lure Shohei Ohtani to Seattle, but when the Japanese standout opted for the Angels, Seattle's GM decided to stick with his seven returning starters. The two biggest keys are getting Félix Hernández and James Paxton healthy and productive. Paxton looked like an ace when healthy last year, but needs to find a way to complete a full season for the first time. Hernandez might not be the King anymore, but a savvy middle-of-the-order veteran who can make 30 competitive starts would certainly help. The Mariners have depth and if one of the youngsters -- Marco Gonzales or Andrew Moore -- makes a strong step forward and Mike Leake and Erasmo Ramírez pitch the way they did after being acquired in midseason, the rotation could indeed be solid. If not, Dipoto could find himself scrambling once again to fill holes.

2. How good will Gordon be in center?
This one should be fascinating to watch as the Mariners look to convert Dee Gordon into a quality center fielder, a position he's only played a handful of times in the Venezuelan Winter League four years ago. The former Marlins second baseman clearly has the athleticism to play the outfield, but it will be a learn-on-the-fly season for the 29-year-old. If he embraces the challenge and claims the position as his own, his elite speed will be an interesting weapon between Mitch Haniger and Ben Gamel in the corners. If he struggles? Well, the Mariners don't really have an available option unless they're ready to move Robinson Canó off second base.
3. Can the big boppers keep going?
While Dipoto has done a nice job turning an aging roster into a relatively young group, his two remaining veteran position players -- Cano and Nelson Cruz -- remain the cornerstone of Seattle's attack. Dipoto has bolstered the lineup with the addition of quality hitters like Gordon, Haniger, Jean Segura, Ryon Healy and the development of Mike Zunino. But there's no getting around the fact that Cano and Cruz -- at ages 35 and 37, respectively -- hold the keys to the engine.

4. Is Healy finally a full-time answer at first?
Seattle has gone with first-base platoons the past two years. Dae-Ho Lee and Adam Lind split the duties in 2016, and Danny Valencia and midseason-addition Yonder Alonso handled things last year. Both those packages were one-year stopgap solutions, but Dipoto is hoping the acquisition of the 25-year-old Healy from the A's provides both an everyday solution as well as a long-term plan as the youngster has five more years of team control and showed a fairly potent power bat (.282 with 38 homers) for the A's in his first season and a half in the big leagues.

5. Will this be the year of the Wolfpack?
Dipoto's offseason push was to beef up the bullpen in order to take pressure off the rotation, a growing trend in MLB. The idea is many starters are most effective in their first two times through a lineup and if the manager can turn to his bullpen earlier in the game and rely on the "pack" of relievers to control things from there, it provides both a winning formula and an effective method to keep starters fresher and healthier over the course of the long season. With Hernandez and Paxton's concerns, that could be a smart plan. But it does rely on developing some versatile relievers who can provide multi-inning outings to bridge the gap when needed, as well as enough good arms to keep that group fresh and productive over the long haul as well.