Mariners sign Jerry Dipoto to multi-year extension

The Mariners have signed general manager Jerry Dipoto to a multi-year contract extension, per a club announcement Friday:

The 50-year-old Dipoto, who previously served as the interim GM of the Diamondbacks in 2010 and the permanent GM of the Angels from 2011-15, is the only former major-league player who currently holds the title of general manager for a big-league club. He has been the Mariners’ GM since September of 2015, and his contract was set to expire after this season. Obviously, this extension gives him the freedom to plan for the coming offseason and future seasons without having to worry about whether it will all be for naught.

Dipoto has managed to mold the Mariners into a playoff contender once again, albeit in a very non-traditional way. Though he inherited a Mariners roster that already included high-priced free-agent additions Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz as well as franchise icons Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager, Dipoto has revamped the organization almost exclusively through trade during his three-plus years at the helm. 13 of the 25 players on Seattle’s active roster were acquired by Dipoto via trade, with another three being acquired off waivers. Several of his the players he’s dealt for — namely Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger, Marco Gonzales, and James Pazos — have been key pieces as the Mariners have thrived in 2018.

Dipoto’s unique method of roster management has yet to result in a playoff appearance, but the Mariners look primed to break their 16-season playoff drought this year, as they currently sit 1.5 games out of first place in the AL East behind the defending World Champion Astros and are two games ahead of the Yankees for the first of two AL wild-card spots.