ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jerry Dipoto joked that he was “jonesing” to make another move at this week’s Winter Meetings.
But Seattle’s president of baseball operations was also quick to point out that he and general manager Justin Hollander had already checked off two big items on their offseason shopping list, having signed Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract and trading for Nationals lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer.
“The good thing for us is we just have fewer needs than we've had in recent years,” Dipoto said, “and the fact that we were able to fill what was our biggest hole, and then a need that we thought was pretty crucial in the bullpen, we filled those roles. Now we can be a little bit more patient. Let it come to us a little.”
Biggest remaining needs
The Mariners are still in the market for an impact infield bat, another proven reliever and backup catcher(s).
They remain engaged with Jorge Polanco on what would be his third contract in as many years in Seattle, but they’ve also been far apart on price point. Sources have said that Polanco is seeking a deal of up to four years and at an average annual value of up to $15 million -- figures that would not align with their budget or longer-term plans with young infielders like Cole Young, Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson.
But they still need a shorter-term bridge to that group, and if Polanco winds up getting the contract he covets elsewhere -- he’s been most prominently linked to the Pirates -- they’ll have to pivot.
The clearest fit would be Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, though St. Louis is in the midst of a front-office transition and not pressed to move the lefty-swinging contact specialist. The club will almost certainly wait out the D-backs’ decision on second baseman Ketel Marte, the three-time All-Star and former Mariner, whose market has heated up in Orlando.
Arizona is said to be seeking MLB-ready starting pitchers, and on paper, the Cardinals could badly use rotation help. But Seattle has been adamant about not trading away from their group.
“We'd love to get a bat done tomorrow,” Dipoto said. “We'd love to add a bullpen arm tomorrow. But you can only move as fast as the market moves.”
A lesser but nonetheless important priority will be to back-fill their catching depth, as Mitch Garver is a free agent and Harry Ford was the key return in the Ferrer trade. Hollander said that they will need to add from outside the organization.
“That’s a challenge,” Hollander said. “We knew it’s a challenge. We didn’t go into it eyes-closed that we would need to do this if we made that trade.
He said it
Mariners manager Dan Wilson admitted that there were times, especially in the playoffs, where another lefty linchpin in the bullpen would’ve been valuable. And the club is extremely bullish on Ferrer.
“This, I think, does set us up really well,” Wilson said. “There are teams that really stack the lineup with lefties, especially against our right-handed starters. And to be able to kind of thwart that at different times in the game is going to be huge.”
Draft Lottery
The Mariners were not among the MLB Draft lottery this year, and because of how far they went in October, they were locked into the No. 24 overall pick for their first-round selection.
Rule 5 Draft
The Mariners did not make a selection with their No. 23 pick in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Their 40-man roster remains at 38.
More from this week
• Randy Arozarena joined Cal Raleigh as official participants in next year’s World Baseball Classic. But the Mariners could have up to a dozen take part.
• Ferrer had actually been on the Mariners’ radar all the way back to 2019, when they tried to acquire him at that year’s Trade Deadline.
• Dipoto was recognized in a big way on Tuesday -- as Baseball America’s Executive of the Year.
GM’s bottom line
Off the field, Dipoto and Hollander are still sorting out how to replace assistant GM Andy McKay, who left last month to fulfill a lifelong dream of being on a Major League coaching staff -- as Guardians field coordinator. McKay spent 10 years in Seattle and was most instrumental in their player development and Draft process.
“It's a great opportunity for a lot of people here to pick off little parts of what Andy does well and gain some experience in new areas,” Hollander said. “And then I think probably the most likely outcome is we reassess where we are a year from now or 10 months from now, and see how those people have grown and developed.”