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Jerry Dipoto (right) (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
In the 10 years since Jerry Dipoto joined the Seattle organization as general manager in 2015, his stated goal has always been the same:Â Put the Mariners in position to finally win their first World Series title.Â
After a decade of clawing to get there, Seattle nearly pulled it off in 2025, falling just one win short of their first World Series appearance. Only a crushing 4-3 defeat to the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series dashed the Mariners†hopes in 2025.
But with a stacked rotation of homegrown starters, including Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller, and a lineup that features star player Julio Rodriguez, 60-home run catcher Cal Raleigh and recently re-signed first baseman Josh Naylor, along with a loaded farm system, the Mariners look poised to contend for years to come.Â
For his efforts, Dipoto, now the teamâ€s president of baseball operations, is BA’s 2025 Major League Executive of the Year.Â
“It really is not a one-person job,†Dipoto said. “While this one might be singled out as me, it is such a group effort. Itâ€s a village, you know?
“What weâ€ve been able to do through player development, it just makes me thankful for all the wonderful people who Iâ€ve had an opportunity to work with over these years.â€
Though it was devastating to fall short after coming so close to the World Series, Dipoto sees this past season as a sign that the organizationâ€s long-held plans are finally coming together.
“It really was reaffirming that what we all believed was that through a foundation in scouting and player development—what weâ€ve been able to achieve in those areas—putting together a really strong foundation with our major league club,†Dipoto said.
“This really should just be our coming out party of sorts.â€
Former Mariners assistant GM Andy McKay, who took a job this offseason as the Guardians†field coordinator, credited Dipotoâ€s confidence and willingness to adapt on the fly as big reasons for the organizationâ€s recent success.
“Organizations … theyâ€re hard to turn around, and it generally is not going to happen quickly,†McKay said. “So, even through some of the lean years in terms of winning at the major league level, you knew on the inside the infrastructure that he was building, it was going to get to a place where it was going to work.Â
“And I think everybody inside of the building always felt that.â€
That faith took patience. Dipoto spent a few years in charge of a Mariners squad featuring star players such as Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Felix Hernandez and Nelson Cruz before commencing a “step back†that saw Seattle get rid of many fan favorites before the 2019 season.Â
A couple years of losing baseball followed as Dipoto went about rebuilding Seattleâ€s farm system. The Mariners re-emerged into contention in 2021 and broke their 21-year playoff drought in 2022, before coming within one game of the playoffs in 2023 and 2024.
In 2025, they captured their first AL West title since 2001.
It hasnâ€t always been a smooth ride. Some of the Mariners†big-name acquisitions in recent years, including Jesse Winker, Jarred Kelenic, Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong, didnâ€t work out. Fans have expressed frustration at Seattleâ€s lack of offseason free agent signings. Almost all of the Mariners†top acquisitions of late have come via trade.Â
Dipoto also took some heat after the 2023 season for his infamous “54 percent†comments, regarding the teamâ€s goal to sustain that winning percentage over a 10-year span.
But some of Dipotoâ€s savvier moves have come in the past few seasons, including the 2024 trade with the Rays for Randy Arozarena, re-signing Jorge Polanco for a resurgent season after Polancoâ€s injury-riddled first year in Seattle, and the midseason trades in 2025 for Naylor and Eugenio Suarez.Â
“Sometimes you just have to get a little bit lucky, is the truth of it,†Dipoto said. “You take enough shots and youâ€re going to miss some and youâ€re going to hit on some.Â
“Weâ€ve taken a lot of shots over the years, and they havenâ€t all worked. But weâ€ve been on a pretty good run in terms of finding the right people who fit in our environment, the types of players who fit in our ballpark.â€
With one of the most talented farm systems in MLB, the Mariners also have many young players who can step into big league roles soon. A trio of rookies—third baseman Ben Williamson, second baseman Cole Young and righthander Logan Evans—all played a part in 2025.
Recent first-round picks, including lefthander Kade Anderson (2025) and shortstop Colt Emerson (2023), donâ€t seem far away. Neither does slugging Cuban outfielder Lazaro Montes.Â
“Bottom line, you know, our entire organization, we want to win,†Mariners farm director Justin Toole said. “I think thatâ€s the No. 1 thing that Jerry led the way with is just putting our group in a position to try to win and have success—and it definitely showed up on the field.â€
With plans to re-sign Polanco and add another bat and some bullpen help, Dipoto is eager to see how the Mariners can follow up their magical run.
“Weâ€ve been to a couple of postseasons now, and each year we go back to the post, we get a little bit stronger,†Dipoto said.
“You know, the fiber runs a little bit tighter, and the needs are a little bit fewer than the roster before, and we feel as confident about this roster going into this offseason as we have about any team weâ€ve ever had.â€
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