Mariners hire Jerry Dipoto as general manager

The Mariners have confirmed that they will hire Jerry Dipoto as their new general manager, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. Dipoto was reported to be the leading candidate for the position as of this afternoon, with Billy Eppler as the other finalist.

Dipoto, who has been working as a consultant in the Red Sox' organization since leaving the Angels in early July, was considered a candidate for jobs in Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia this offseason before accepting the Mariners' offer. Seattle also interviewed Eppler and Blue Jays executives Dana Brown and Dan Evans before offering the job to Dipoto.

Dipoto, 47, replaces Jack Zduriencik as the Mariners' general manager after spending three and a half seasons at the helm of the Angels and resigning in July amid tension with longtime manager Mike Scioscia. He also has experience as the Diamondbacks' interim general manager after spending many years as a top-level executive in the Arizona organization.

Seattle is the fourth team to hire a new general manager since the beginning of the season, joining the Tigers (Al Avila), Red Sox (Dave Dombrowski and Mike Hazen) and Brewers (David Stearns). The Angels, Marlins and Phillies are still looking for a new general manager at this point. For the latest, check out our front office movement tracker.