Chris Iannetta and Jerry Dipoto go way back. When the Mariners signed Iannetta away from the Angels, where Dipoto also had just come from, that link was what first came to mind for many, but there was one before that—going back to when Dipoto was head of the scouting department for the Colorado Rockies.
“I’ve seen him play since he was a first-year minor league player, and I’ve always thought a lot of his skillset—it’s a very distinct skill-set,” Dipoto said at the time of Iannetta’s acquisition.
“He brings us a veteran bat with an idea when he gets in the box.