The pain of how the Seattle Mariners' season ended is still there, but it's time to stop licking wounds and start making plans. The offseason is coming, and how Jerry Dipoto tackles it will be what determines if Game 7 of the ALCS was the end of the road or a jumping-off point.
To this end, the mind inevitably goes to one question: What is payroll going to be in 2026?
This isn't actually up to Dipoto, yet he still gave an encouraging answer when asked during a gathering with the media at T-Mobile Park on Thursday.