The Mariners have won at least 85 games in each of the last four seasons, but the clubs wild card berth and subsequent ALDS appearance in 2022 marks Seattles only trip to the playoffs in that stretch. This years squad won 85 games on the heels of the sports best pitching staff, but the Mariners lineup struggled badly for much of the season, leading to another year without any October baseball. Amidst increasing fan unrest over this lack of succe s, team chairman/CEO John Stanton preached patience, as Stanton said in an interview with . I am as disappointed as any fan we have that this team hasnt been in the playoffs in two years , Stanton said. I believe were making progre s. I can certainly understand why fans are frustrated when they hear me say that, but I believe that we are on track to have a team that consistently wins over a long period of time. I intend this team to win, have a winning record every season, be in the playoffs most seasons, and we will win a World Series . In regards to this quest for Seattles first baseball championship, Stanton confirmed a Seattle Times report which stated that Jerry Dipoto will continue as the top decision-maker in the front office. Stanton didnt provide specifics on Dipotos contract status, or any hints about how many more years remain on the extension Dipoto signed . As Kramer notes, it would appear as though Dipoto is still working under that previous contract and hasnt signed a new deal, Daniel Palka Jersey given that the Mariners made public announcements when Dipoto inked his previous two extensions with the team. I believe in Jerry, and Jerry is going to continue to lead our baseball organization into the future as the president of baseball operations and I believe pa sionately that he is the right guy to do that , Stanton said. Another Seattle Times report (again ) earlier this week stated the Mariners would have a higher payroll next season, even if such an increase wasnt expected to be enough for the Ms to accommodate a major free agent signing. According to , the Mariners finished 2024 with a payroll of roughly $144.8MM, and have a little under $95MM on the books for 2025, though that latter figure doesnt account for the projected salaries owed to Seattles of 12 players. This might not leave the Ms too far beneath the $144.8MM figure based on internal salaries alone, let alone the nece sary upgrades that will be needed to the roster, particularly on the hitting side. While Stanton said the payroll would indeed be on the rise, he unsurprisingly declined to state exactly how much extra Dipotos front office would have available to spend this winter. I think our draft, develop and trade philosophy certainly doesnt preclude free agents , Stanton said, though Dipoto has only signed two free agents ( and ) to multi-year contracts during his nine seasons as Seattles top baseball exec. I think Jerrys done an extraordinary job of trading.Hes been prolific in doing that, and very effective in doing that , Stanton said. And I think that that is an important part of that philosophy. And if youre effective in trading, it seems to me that that means you dont have to do free agency deals in the same numbers . The Mariners takeover of ROOT Sports regional sports network was seen as the chief reason for the clubs relative lack of spending last winter, and while Stanton said this was a misconception , he later added that the Mariners broadcast situation is not going to be nearly the concern that it was this past year . Stanton said the Ms havent yet decided on their broadcasting plans for 2025, as while the Mariners arent one of the teams tied up in contracts with the Diamond Sports Group and Bally Sports Networks, DSGs is still a chief factor in how the Mariners will choose to proceed with their own programming going forward. In terms of deciding to continue with ROOT Sports or to perhaps turn to MLB itself to broadcast Mariners games, the result of the DSG case will allow us to know what other teams are doing, and that will give us some sense as to what it is that MLB would have to sell, basically , Stanton said. If there are a lot of teams involved, then theyve got an ability to deliver to distributors, such as the cable companies, a broader set of markets, and therefore something more valuable to those distributors . In the broader sense, Stanton noted that Seattle is roughly the 15th-largest market in baseball. Were pretty much smack dab in the middle in terms of the size of the market, and that means that were about average in our ability to generate revenue and to do those things. I think, to me, the word that we use a lot and our objective is to have a sustainable franchise over a long period of time . Stanton also spoke publicly for the first time about the Mariners firing of manager Scott Servais in August, which the chairman described as a gut-wrenching, difficult decision on Dipotos part. Servais dismi sal and the subsequent hiring of as the new manager came after a very long series of conversations. I asked Jerry questions as to why he wanted to make the change, with respect to Scott, why he wanted to bring Dan in, and I was certainly satisfied by his thinking on it . Servais also infamously learned of his firing from a news update before he heard from Dipoto or Stanton, which Stanton expre sed deep regret over, and that is a source of frustration for everyone in this building . Stanton implied that he didnt know where the leak came from, but I am highly confident it didnt come from within this building or from our ownership group, because I know there was a very small circle of people who are aware of it, and I have a high level of confidence that those people did not say anything . Jared Shuster Jersey