Mariners Chairman John Stanton On Jerry Dipoto, Payroll, Broadcasting Deals

The Mariners have won at least 85 games in each of the last four seasons, but the club’s wild card berth and subsequent ALDS appearance in 2022 marks Seattle’s only trip to the playoffs in that stretch.  This year’s squad won 85 games on the heels of the sport’s best pitching staff, but the Mariners’ lineup struggled badly for much of the season, leading to another year without any October baseball.

Amidst increasing fan unrest over this lack of success, team chairman/CEO John Stanton preached patience, as Stanton said in an interview with MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.  “I am as disappointed as any fan we have that this team hasn’t been in the playoffs in two years,” Stanton said.  “I believe we’re making progress.  I can certainly understand why fans are frustrated when they hear me say that, but I believe that we are on track to have a team that consistently wins over a long period of time.  I intend this team to win, have a winning record every season, be in the playoffs most seasons, and we will win a World Series.”

In regards to this quest for Seattle’s first baseball championship, Stanton confirmed a Seattle Times report from last month which stated that Jerry Dipoto will continue as the top decision-maker in the front office.  Stanton didn’t provide specifics on Dipoto’s contract status, or any hints about how many more years remain on the extension Dipoto signed in September 2021.  As Kramer notes, it would appear as though Dipoto is still working under that previous contract and hasn’t signed a new deal, given that the Mariners made public announcements when Dipoto inked his previous two extensions with the team.

“I believe in Jerry, and Jerry is going to continue to lead our baseball organization into the future as the president of baseball operations — and I believe passionately that he is the right guy to do that,” Stanton said.

Another Seattle Times report (again from Ryan Divish and Adam Jude) earlier this week stated the Mariners would have a higher payroll next season, even if such an increase wasn’t expected to be enough for the M’s to accommodate a major free agent signing.  According to RosterResource, the Mariners finished 2024 with a payroll of roughly $144.8MM, and have a little under $95MM on the books for 2025, though that latter figure doesn’t account for the projected salaries owed to Seattle’s large arbitration class of 12 players.  This might not leave the M’s too far…