Dipoto embarrassed by Mariners' collapse: 'It starts with me'
As late as June 13, the Seattle Mariners sat atop the American League West. Since then, not only has the club coughed up the division, but a 36-42 stretch has put the Mariners 8 1/2 games back of the wild card, trailing the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays.
The disappointing collapse has prompted executive vice president and general manager Jerry Dipoto to re-evaluate his club.
"We watched the team struggle repeatedly for the last two months and we're all accountable. It starts with me," Dipoto told 710 ESPN Seattle. "We were in a position to do special things and we had a group that was playing together in a way that was so energizing for everybody around the team and we've watched it methodically and painfully be pulled apart over the course of these last two months and it's gotten worse as we've gone.
"(The struggles have) to be part of our decision-making heading into 2019 and frankly those are some tough decisions because we're at a bit of a crossroads in looking at where we are as a club and how we get to a championship level because we've taken two steps forward and then three steps back and that's on us."
In early July, the Mariners signed Dipoto to a multi-year extension. At the time of the announcement, the Mariners owned a 56-33 record, which was second-best in the division and fourth in the AL.
Later that month, the Mariners announced a multi-year extension for manager Scott Servais. Dipoto credited the skipper at that point for being "the right leader at the right time for the right team." Seattle owned a 59-39 record despite a run differential of zero.
"We just needed to do some of the things we were doing and hold serve, and we didn't do it. That's on us," Dipoto added. "We should be embarrassed by it, and I am."
Dipoto did credit the consistency of Mitch Haniger, Denard Span, and Nelson Cruz, the latter of whom being the club's most notable pending free agent.
The executive has developed a reputation for consistently brokering trades and alluded broadly to another busy offseason in the Pacific Northwest.