Jerry Dipoto indicated Friday afternoon that if the Seattle Mariners are making a move to bolster their roster before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, then this is the fourth quarter, so to speak.
As much as the baseball world awaited Manny Machado’s next stop, Dipoto said that the real chip to get the trade dominos falling was the deal that sent coveted left-handed reliever Brad Hand from the San Diego Padres to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
That’s because the deadline is brimming with bullpen arms, as well as plenty of playoff contenders interested in bulking their bullpens.