Jerry Dipoto is one of the more creative general managers in baseball. He has never shied away from acquiring Minor League players mid-season to immediately plug into his MLB roster. In 2018, two of those players, Marco Gonzales and Ben Gamel, are key contributors in the Mariners’ extremely hot start.
The Mariners don’t have the most flexible payroll entering July’s Trade Deadline. It’s not awful, but they likely won’t be able to add a large contract to their books. So that’s where Dipoto’s creation plays in.