Mariners’ payroll decisions can’t be overlooked amid hapless season | Commentary

It was an odd juxtaposition Saturday night. On one hand, you had perhaps the most ambitious ceremony in Mariners history – when the team brought together nearly all of the organization’s Top 50 all-time players for a pregame celebration.

It was joyous, with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Ichiro, Edgar Martínez – and even A-Rod – getting boisterous ovations.

But against the backdrop of all that cheer was a painful truth: that these current Mariners are a long way from great. On the contrary, they’re less than two months from being one of the most disappointing M’s teams ever.

One of the questions that seems to come up lately is: Where does the front office fit into this? It’s their job to put the best possible team on the field, but the current squad – which entering Tuesday holds a 56-63 record and is four games out of first place in the American League West – looks hapless.

This latest sweep at the hands of the Rays makes a playoff spot look even more improbable. That fire that so many fans want to see from the players is about as intense as the edge of a matchstick.

So where does the brass fit into this? Last year the Mariners’ middling spending habits got a pass as they conquered the AL West and fell one victory shy of reaching their first World Series. The theme seemed to be “OK, the M’s aren’t throwing cash at players like the Dodgers or Yankees, but they’re being smart with what they have.”

Maybe. But they were still 15th in payroll. The teams in the World Series were first and fifth, respectively. The year before, the World Series participants were first and third.

As for this year’s Mariners? They’re 16th in payroll, according to Spotrac.com. Not even in the top half of MLB. And as much as the players are underperforming – and we’ll get to that in a second – substandard spending is going to lead to substandard play. One can’t overlook that.

Sure, there are some challenges, such as T-Mobile Park being the least hitter-friendly stadium in MLB. But that didn’t stop the M’s from luring Robinson Canó last decade. Didn’t stop them from nabbing Nelson Cruz – who averaged more than 40 home runs per season in his four years in Seattle – either. Talent can be acquired here. But will the M’s be willing to buy the best?

As for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, it’s fair to question how much better he made this team from last year. There was no monster signing. Infielder Brendan Donovan has been productive in his 29 healthy games but was never a jaw-dropping addition. First baseman Josh Naylor had the best two-month stretch of his career after being dealt to the Mariners before the trade deadline last year but has regressed into mediocrity (at best.) And though the M’s got a modest boost by trading for right-handed hitter Taylor Ward last week, they failed to land that lights-out bullpen arm at this year’s trade deadline.

More than anything, though, this team has reached the playoffs just twice since the end of the 2015 season, which is when Dipoto came aboard and when John Stanton became chairman. That’s hardly a legacy of winning. Not even close.

Now, it’s true that catcher Cal Raleigh is having an unfathomably poor season after hitting 60 home runs in 2025. Nobody could have seen his .161 average coming this year. It’s also true that Julio Rodríguez’s OPS of .746 is .46 points below his career mark, that Bryan Woo’s 4.31 ERA is almost a run and a half per game worse than last year’s, and that closer Andrés Muñoz had a miserable first half.

Additionally, we know that manager Dan Wilson has made some iffy bullpen/piggyback decisions that have cost this team wins. There is no one person or department to point to for this season’s collapse. It’s been a spiral by committee. But the brass shouldn’t get off scot-free here.

Like you, I still have no idea how the M’s are going to finish up this year. They’re not out of the playoff hunt yet and theoretically have the pitching staff to make a run if they make the tournament.

But I know how bad it’s been to this point – how frustrating it’s been for fans. They spend their hard-earned money to go out to games, and have to be wondering why ownership can’t spend more itself.