Jerry Dipoto Has Successfully Extended the Mariners’ Playoff Window

The task was simple: build around existing stars to stay competitive and to extend the playoff window. But don’t just burn money and don’t trade away too much talent because, well, there isn’t too much, to begin with.

Okay, so the task wasn’t simple at all.

Some gambles ended up biting the Mariners in the behind. Some lower-risk moves managed to do the same. But the influx of controllable talent to the major league squad since 2015 and its impact on the Mariners’ near future cannot be understated.

With King Felix declining swiftly and Hisashi Iwakuma riddled with injuries in recent years, the outlook of the Mariners’ rotation would seem mighty bleak if not for the floor-raising acquisitions of Marco Gonzales, Mike Leake, and Wade LeBlanc.