Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (21) holds his hat during the national anthem in the bullpen before facing the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park in 2022. Lindsey Wasson-Imagn Images

Seattle Radio Host Calls For Mariners to Switch Philosophy This Offseason

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Dec 21, 2024 2:00 PM ET

Popular Seattle sports radio host Mike Salk made some headlines this week when he published a column saying that the Mariners should switch up their team-building philosophy this offseason.

The switch-up is notable because 710 is the flagship home of the Mariners. Most fans typically think that the station isn't hard enough on the Mariners, given their relationship. In this case, Salk is going against what the organization is doing.

Per Salk:

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said that his team is a “draft, develop, and trade” organization. He uses that description both to explain their focus on those parts of the acquisition process but also to distinguish his team from those that jump bravely into the world of free agency. I have always thought of the “DDT” philosophy as being one of the principles that guides the organization.

But it isn’t a principle. It is a method. And it is not the right method for this particular scenario.

Because of the way baseball's offseason is shaping up, the #Mariners need to pivot from their usual "draft, develop and trade" philosophy in order to be successful, writes @TheMikeSalk.https://t.co/kZjwtM69xP
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) December 19, 2024

Salk is doing what most fans are doing at this point in the offseason, imploring the team to spend money. Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Hye-Seong Kim, they are all out there to be had, but the M's have seemed hesitant to engage with any of them at this point.

The Mariners have said they only have $15-20 million to spend this offseason, which has taken them out of the running for several big names including Christian Walker, who signed with the division-rival Astros on Friday.

Building a great farm system of affordable talent, as the Mariners have, is a great way of doing business. However, there comes a time when you have to be willing to cash in your chips, and the M's haven't been willing to do that. Sure, they signed Robbie Ray before the 2022 season, but they dealt him the minute they could before 2024.

They also inked Luis Castillo to an extension, but appear willing to move him as well.

No matter how the rest of this offseason goes, it's very clear that the drumbeat is growing louder: Fans are frustrated, even those like Salk who supposedly don't get frustrated enough.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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