SEATTLE -- Jerry Dipoto, one of the biggest wheeler and dealers in Major League Baseball over his first three seasons as Mariners general manager, earned a new deal himself on Friday as the club presented him with a multiyear contract extension.
Since taking over a club that went 76-86 in 2015, Dipoto has rebuilt the Major League roster by making the most trades of any GM in baseball since then, putting together a club that entered play on Friday with a 56-32 record and an excellent opportunity to end the franchise's 17-year playoff drought.
Dipoto, 50, is the ninth GM in Mariners history and he's rebuilt the baseball operations and scouting departments as well as the roster, while also hiring Scott Servais to be field manager to run a club that has turned into one of the bigger surprises in the Majors this season despite the 80-game suspension of Robinson Cano.
"Jerry arrived here 2 1/2 years ago with a specific plan for our franchise," Mariners president and CEO Kevin Mather said. "He has successfully executed that plan, resulting in a younger, more athletic and, most importantly, far more successful Major League team.
"At the same time, he has upgraded nearly every aspect of our overall baseball operation, improving systems, staff and communication in our Major League operations, our player development system, our pro and amateur scouting departments and our revamped high-performance area."
The Mariners are 220-192 since Dipoto's arrival, the eighth-best record in the Majors, and their current mark is the fourth best in MLB this season.
"As I said when I arrived here, I believe this organization has every opportunity to be successful on a consistent basis," Dipoto said. "The combination of a supportive ownership group, great ballpark, passionate fan base and beautiful city gives us all the tools we need to consistently compete for division titles, and division titles give us the opportunity to attain our primary goal: winning the Word Series here in Seattle."