Seattle, WA
Dipoto speaks on Seattle Mariners offseason: What we learned
Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto met with the media in a Zoom call Monday afternoon to discuss the re-signing of Jorge Polanco, and he also took questions about the Mariners’ offseason in general as the team prepares to report to spring training in the next two weeks.
Seattle Mariners Moves: Polanco, ex-Zag added; two DFA’d
The team that will reports to Arizona will look much like the team that departed T-Mobile Park following Game 162 last September, falling just shy of a playoff appearance for a second straight season. Dipoto indicated that week to the media that he didn’t anticipate much offseason movement around the team outside of finding a platoon partner for Luke Raley at first base and filling one of the open spots at second or third base.
While he wouldn’t comment on budget specifics, it was clear early on that if big moves were to be made, they would come via trade with Dipoto’s spending money in the $15-20 million range. No surprise, there was plenty of opportunity to trade with the Mariners receiving inquiries this winter on all five starting pitchers.
“We had more than a few deals that made you scratch your head and say, ‘Hey, what do you think guys?’” Dipoto said Monday. “But by and large, we just feel like the value of what the pitching staff as a whole provides us, there’s a reason why we were so good. And you know, why disrupt? We’re about our pitching. We’re going to lean into it and this is this is who we are.”
Optimistic on offense
For a second straight offseason, Dipoto listened on starting pitching but ultimately decided to not disrupt. What he saw at the end of the 2024 season with the offense perhaps made that decision easier for him. In late September, Dipoto touted improvements that showed what the Mariners’ offense could be after Dan Wilson was named manager and Edgar Martinez interim hitting coach. That belief has carried through the winter.
“We have a good offensive team and we didn’t feel like we needed to do a whole lot but to find ways to support the group that we had,” Dipoto said. “I know the offseason has been long and seemingly slow. We do feel like we made a lot of progress last year and the additions of (Randy) Arozarena, (Victor) Robles, (Donovan) Solano and a healthy Jorge Polanco, with what we think will be bounceback seasons from a couple of guys who didn’t have their best years, stand to be positives for us.”
Not liking where the trade market was taking them, Dipoto turned back to free agent Polanco, who the team had kept in contact with throughout the offseason.
“We were satisfied with where he was from a health perspective,” he said, noting the 31 year old has looked more explosive in his movements and better able to stop after such bursts. “We were excited that he was optimistic about how he felt and about returning to the Mariners. He now knows our ballpark, he knows our manager and staff, and I thought it was a real positive he chose to be here.”
Dipoto believes moving Polanco from second base to third base will be better for Polanco’s health, and a better fit for the roster overall with Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss better at second base, and prospect Cole Young, a natural shortstop who has played quite a bit of second base, better up the middle.
The importance of the bullpen
It will be a somewhat but not dramatically different look both offensively and defensively for the Mariners in 2025. Will it be enough to compete in an AL West of teams that have also made changes? Dipoto believes that, coupled with another area where he sees improvement, it can be.
“We feel like we’re right in the mix,” he said. “I think the early projection systems feel like we’re right in the mix. A real positive for us is the expected healthy returns of (relief pitchers) Gregory Santos and Matt Brash. It’s maybe the thing that got us most in the last two months of last season was a bullpen that got tired. We pushed really hard on Andrés Muñoz and Austin Voth and Trent Thornton early (last season), and they were all pitching a lot and in very high leverage all the time. I think having guys like Santos, Brash and more time from Troy Taylor give us a lot of opportunity to improve in that area as well.”
Seattle Mariners injury updates
The Mariners could possibly start the season without Taylor, who had a strong debut as a rookie in late 2024, with Dipoto reporting the 23-year-old right-hander suffered a lat strain last week doing workouts.
“We’re going to take it easy on him when we get started,” Dipoto said. “He’s more TBD and we would expect there is at least some potential he is going to have to start the season down in Arizona (at extended spring training) as he ramps up.”
The news continues to be optimistic with Brash, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May.
“Matt’s had a great rehab,” Dipoto said. “He has really not had a roadblock to date. Our present timeline is that we should get him back somewhere around the third week of April, which is pretty exciting. Obviously, that’s tentative. It could change and obviously wouldn’t be at all shocking if he did experience some setback as he starts to ramp up to game mode, but we haven’t seen that yet.”
A healthy Brash will be a welcome sight in Peoria. Missing will be an array of new faces, although Dipoto allowed for the possibility of another move before the offseason clock ticks down.
“We’re still open if the opportunity to add exists out there,” he said, “but we feel like it’s a good team. And if this is our team going into spring training or opening day, we’re pretty excited by it.”
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Goldsmith weighs in on Seattle Mariners’ second base situation
• Which M’s prospect has best shot to hit star potential? Law weighs in
• One thing about Mariners’ reunion with Polanco gives Salk pause
• Drayer: Jorge Polanco is answer for Mariners’ infield — with question marks
• Seattle Mariners Notebook: Non-roster invitees for spring training set
Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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