The Seattle Mariners have been relatively quiet this offseason, and General Manager Jerry Dipoto recently explained why they have not been interested in two of the biggest names available: Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez.
Ohtani, a two-way player from Japan, has been the talk of the offseason as teams vie for his services. Dipoto said that the Mariners were interested in Ohtani, but they felt that their offer was not competitive enough to land him. “We made a very aggressive offer, but it wasn’t enough to get him to come to Seattle,” Dipoto said.
The Mariners also had interest in Teoscar Hernandez, an outfielder from the Toronto Blue Jays. Dipoto said that the team was interested in Hernandez, but they were not willing to pay the price that the Blue Jays were asking. “We felt that the price was too high for us to make a deal,” Dipoto said.
Dipoto also said that the team is still looking to improve their roster this offseason, but they are being very selective about who they target. “We are looking for players who can help us win now and in the future,” Dipoto said. “We want to make sure that we are making smart decisions with our resources.”
It is clear that the Mariners are taking a measured approach to their offseason moves. While they may not have landed Ohtani or Hernandez, they are still looking for ways to improve their roster and make a run at the playoffs in 2018.
