Jerry Dipoto took over as the Mariners’ general manager on Sept. 28, 2015, and since that day, he has been The Human Transaction Machine, leaving his fellow executives in the dust in volume of deals:
Total trades since 9/28/15
Mariners: 79
Rays: 64
Yankees: 63
Braves: 61
Rangers: 59
Dodgers: 57
Orioles: 57
White Sox: 53
Angels: 50
Blue Jays: 50
Based on that recent history, one might assume that as Seattle embarks on a rebuilding effort this winter, Dipoto would comfortably go all-in, especially after trading one of the two or three most important players on his roster, left-hander James Paxton. The Paxton deal all but locks in the Mariners as 2019 losers, and since Dipoto has taken that step, it’s understandable he’s willing to listen to offers for other established veterans, from infielder Jean Segura to third baseman Kyle Seager.
But according to evaluators with other teams, there are two players who have been (sort of) deemed untouchable by the Mariners: closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Mitch Haniger.