SEATTLE — Amidst the frenzy of blockbuster trades in the 2025–26 MLB offseason, Jerry Dipoto, President of Baseball Operations for the Seattle Mariners, stirred up the fan community with a statement no one wanted to hear at the Winter Meetings — turning fans from hopeful to… angry.
Last season, the Mariners finished just eight outs short of their first-ever chance to qualify for the World Series, and fans had incredibly high expectations for this offseason. But instead of promising a “big splash,” Dipoto called for… patience, enraging fans and leaving them feeling “well-reassured at the wrong time.”
During the Winter Meetings press conference, Dipoto stated that the Mariners had filled many key needs with moves such as signing Josh Naylor for $92.5 million and trading in Jose A. Ferrer — and, according to him, the team now has fewer gaps than before, so they “can be patient and wait for the right market.”
Dipoto shared: “Things will start moving. It always does. And the good thing is we just have fewer needs than in recent years… Now we can be more patient. Let it come to us.”
This story came as a cold shower to Mariners fans — who were watching the free agency market accelerate with big contracts for Kyle Schwarber and Edwin Díaz, opening up opportunities for many more trades.
Supporters immediately expressed their disappointment, saying “this season is not the time for patience.” Instead, they want to take decisive action to immediately add power bats and pitching arms — whether through trades or free transfers — to turn last season’s failure into momentum for a championship fight.
On social media and Mariners fan forums, many criticized Dipoto for his lack of determination during an offseason where fans had higher expectations than ever before, especially after the team reached the ALCS and nearly made it to the World Series.
Some fans even argued that the team had sufficient finances and a deep farming system — they should have been “hunting for big players” instead of waiting on the sidelines.
According to Dipoto, the Mariners’ current situation is “less urgent than before” and the team has already completed the crucial elements. But many analysts believe that patience could cause the team to miss out on big opportunities in the open market, especially with players like Jorge Polanco or Ketel Marte who are currently making headlines and attracting attention from other big teams.
The all-out market is opening up, with free agents and busy trade deadlines, giving Mariners fans the feeling that the time to spend big has arrived — not a call for patience. This creates a major conflict between fan expectations and the strategy Dipoto is pushing.
Dipoto may be looking further ahead, thinking about the team’s long-term sustainability, but while Mariners fans are still reeling from last season’s failure, this call for patience feels like a repetition of that disappointment.
If Mariners don’t enter the market as strongly as expected, 2026 could become a season where faith is tested more than ever — because while the goal is the World Series, fans want to see… action now.
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