Jerry Dipoto and his front office are nothing if not confident, and that has never been more evident than last Thursday’s press conference. Dipoto threw out words of support for the starting rotation. Andy McKay bristled at Baseball America’s appraisal of the Mariners’ farm system as worst in the league. John Stanton assured fans that payroll wasn’t an issue. The organization believes in themselves, which is good, but they seem to be in the minority.
The Mariners, it seems, are asking you to believe, to trust, to have faith ... and to have faith that this season will defy the prevailing pessimism and be marked by contention and progress toward the end of their stultifying 16-year playoff drought.