Rebuilds in baseball are usually a four-to-six-year process, and fans of these particular teams witness a lot of bad baseball over that time. While the Mariners’ acceptance and acknowledgement of their own mediocrity is admirable, their specific rebuilding plan falls back on bad habits.
Dipoto, the face of the organization’s upper management, has openly expressed a desire to compete as early as next season and no later than 2022. Every move the Mariners have made this Winter has reflected that, with the offseason’s biggest acquisitions featuring prospects set to make their debut within the next year.
At times, Dipoto has foregone the acquisition of prospects in favor of Major League talent with three-to-four years left of club control.