Seattle Mariners Exec Jerry Dipoto Discusses Team's Approach in Trade Market

The Seattle Mariners are set to begin the second half of the season in the first of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at 7:10 p.m. PT on Friday at T-Mobile Park.

The Mariners entered the All-Star Break with a 1.5-game lead for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, and have an opportunity to create separation from the rest of the field of playoff contenders. The M's are coming off a series sweep against Detroit Tigers, which had the best record in the majors.

Seattle has been rumored to be one of the most aggressive teams in the trade market this season, and key additions could be the key for the club to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

The trade deadline is set to take place at 3 p.m. PT on July 31. The market has been slow this season due to the number of teams still in playoff contention, and that's been something the Mariners have tried to navigate.

Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude published an article Friday catching up with Seattle president of baseball operatons Jerry Dipoto about various topics, including the trade deadline:

"Going into the draft, it was still what I would call a closed market," Dipoto said in the article. "There weren’t many teams that were yet in position or were willing to move. We have what we consider to be a pretty complete roster. Our goal would be, if we are to make moves, it’s to upgrade meaningfully. We still much prefer the idea, in the trade market, of investing in guys who have an opportunity to be with you moving forward. But we’re also aware that there are any number of players whose contracts run out at the end of the year who fit our team particularly well. Whether they become available or not is another story, but we’re confident, with the support of ownership, with a really robust farm system and with the willingness to go out and make a trade and get uncomfortable. This is the time of year where we’ve generally been as aggressive as anybody. We’re already making our canvas calls, and we’re already following up. We have already, at least in two situations, actually talked about players, which is a little bit earlier in the process than is typically normal for us. But I won’t say that right now we have any sense that we’re going to get anything done. But I’m optimistic that as we get closer to end of the month, we will."

Dipoto went on to say in the article that the team will be more deliberate with acquiring hitters due to how the team has played the last month-and-a-half. Since June 7, the Mariners are first in the league in wRC+ (weighted runs created-plus) at 130. Seattle has the ninth-best record in the majors since that date (19-15).