It is on the players now. Jerry delivered.

[Michael K.]

Well said Mostonmike, and I will double down. After being a fan my entire life, after the collapse of 2001, and the subsequent longest playoff draught in NA, and the fact that we currently sit at one playoff appearance in 24 years? I seriously don't give a shit if they have to spend money to win. The fact that anyone uses a player like Pete Alonso's salary as an excuse for why we couldn't sign him? First? Who cares, spend money you assholes, after telling the fans that somehow stuck by you through all this bullshit they should feel lucky? I'd like to believe they would open the pocket book up and take a shot. In the Off Season, not when they only have to play for the last few months of the salary. Second? There is no salary cap. The money spent impacts the fans not one single bit. Except for the fact that these tight ass SOBs would raise ticket prices.

Make an effort to win, stop crying poor, and then? Maybe people won't be so pissed off. Seriously, that Jocker of a man stood in front of cameras, after all the promises, and told us we should be thanking them for making them consistently not quite good enough. Then doubled down on an off season that promises were made and cried poor. They should be thanking the fans, and instead? They flip them off while robbing them blind.

[Donn Beach]

Pete Alonso, and it would not have been difficult. They'd have a few more wins on the board already and assuming they still added Geno they would now have even more of a murderer's row of hitters, although picking up Naylor is also a big plus.

Pete Alonso signed 2 years for $54 million. That would make him the highest paid player on the Mariners.

Alonzo wasn't coming to seattle on a two year deal, it wouldn't have been about matching the Mets offer. It's true the mariners could have signed him if they wanted, but it would have been for the sort of deal he was originally looking for, not the pillow he agreed to with the mets.

[Michael K.]

Pete Alonso, and it would not have been difficult. They'd have a few more wins on the board already and assuming they still added Geno they would now have even more of a murderer's row of hitters, although picking up Naylor is also a big plus.

Pete Alonso signed 2 years for $54 million. That would make him the highest paid player on the Mariners.

Alonzo wasn't coming to seattle on a two year deal, it wouldn't have been about matching the Mets offer. It's true the mariners could have signed him if they wanted, but it would have been for the sort of deal he was originally looking for, not the pillow he agreed to with the mets.

Again, who cares? How many fan bases in MLB worry about salaries? I have a real good idea that the fans worried about salaries root for teams that rarely make much noise. It's been conditioned into them that their favorite team won't do what it takes to win, won't pay for players, so they excuse it by looking at how much money a guy makes....in a sport with no salary cap.

Wake me up when they revoke the rings won by the Rangers and Dodgers recently because they spent too much money.

[Donn Beach]

Pete Alonso signed 2 years for $54 million. That would make him the highest paid player on the Mariners.

Alonzo wasn't coming to seattle on a two year deal, it wouldn't have been about matching the Mets offer. It's true the mariners could have signed him if they wanted, but it would have been for the sort of deal he was originally looking for, not the pillow he agreed to with the mets.

Again, who cares? How many fan bases in MLB worry about salaries? I have a real good idea that the fans worried about salaries root for teams that rarely make much noise. It's been conditioned into them that their favorite team won't do what it takes to win, won't pay for players, so they excuse it by looking at how much money a guy makes....in a sport with no salary cap.

Wake me up when they revoke the rings won by the Rangers and Dodgers recently because they spent too much money.

Sure, I'm not worried about it, they signed Robinson Cano out of nowhere. Signing Alonzo would have been more in that territory, the $200 mil he was originally asking for. Yeah we are pretty conditioned, Stanton has stated he isn't interested in those sorts of FA contracts. Their approach would be more investing in their own development, and so far that's what they have done. It's going to be interesting what Alonzo ends up signing for.

[AZOldDawg]

It looks to me like Jerry was determined not to give up a primo prospect or we could have picked up a difference maker from the Twins. With our propensity for low scoring games I hope we don’t get bit in the ass

[DanielVogelbach]

It's been conditioned into them that their favorite team won't do what it takes to win, won't pay for players, so they excuse it by looking at how much money a guy makes....in a sport with no salary cap.

I turn my attention away when the team sucks and get drawn closer in when they're competitive.

It would all be relative anyway. One time the Braves won their division 15 times in a row, so fans quit coming to the first round of the post season... they just took that for granted.

It really wouldn't change my life all that significantly if the Mariners increased their payroll to $300 million. Moreover, it doesn't guarantee any type of success. Moreover, the league is designed to give small market teams windows of competitiveness, because they can stockpile young players and each one is locked for 6 years plus small extensions.

The Mariners have some long term contracts on veterans, but have to let some veterans go. It's similar to a cap casualty, but the cap is just the owner's personal choice.

I will follow the Ms more closely when they're winning games, but I'm not ever going to gripe about the owner not spending enough money. That's just silly to me. Nobody is forcing you to be a Mariners fan. You could switch allegiance to the Dodgers if high payroll is your thing. Then you can stop bitching about payroll and just enjoy baseball.

[Donn Beach]

It looks to me like Jerry was determined not to give up a primo prospect or we could have picked up a difference maker from the Twins. With our propensity for low scoring games I hope we don’t get bit in the ass

yeah, i was rooting for another lockdown reliever to cement the BP. The Twins traded for Eduardo Tait so Ford would have seemed to have been in play for them. That's probably Dombrowski as opposed to Dipoto, Dave has never been afraid to move a prospect

[Michael K.]

I will follow the Ms more closely when they're winning games, but I'm not ever going to gripe about the owner not spending enough money. That's just silly to me. Nobody is forcing you to be a Mariners fan. You could switch allegiance to the Dodgers if high payroll is your thing. Then you can stop bitching about payroll and just enjoy baseball.

I can't do that. I can watch and have an interest in another team, especially in the playoffs since my team is usually out of it. But I can't just decide to be a fan of another team because the people who own my team suck. My guess is you and I are from different Eras. If that was the case? There is no way I could still be a Seahawk or Mariner fan. Too many lean years in the 80s and 90s between those two organizations for me to still have been around when the Hawks finally went to a Super Bowl and then later finally won one. No way I would have still been an M's fan in 95 when I hung on pins and needles during every game. Many on the radio because they weren't all televised.

[Michael K.]

Stanton has stated he isn't interested in those sorts of FA contracts. Their approach would be more investing in their own development, and so far that's what they have done.

Yep, it's what they have done, and they missed the playoffs 23 out of 24 straight years. So when people try to defend this "strategy"? I find it odd.

My guess is if this team ever started to make less and less money, if the media stopped writing puff pieces and actually called these guys out? You might see a change in what it is that Stanton believes.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

I will follow the Ms more closely when they're winning games, but I'm not ever going to gripe about the owner not spending enough money. That's just silly to me. Nobody is forcing you to be a Mariners fan. You could switch allegiance to the Dodgers if high payroll is your thing. Then you can stop bitching about payroll and just enjoy baseball.

Don't you understand though that by spending more money (assuming it was spent wisely) on roster construction that would result in higher revenues, especially if it resulted in playoff appearances or (heaven forbid) winning the division occasionally? It's an investment - spend more, make more. And it also helps build new generations of fans. It's hard to imagine how much future revenue they've lost in this 22 year run of futility because anyone born this century views the franchise as losers.

I'm forced to conclude that the problem isn't so much that the owners are penny-pinching tightwads as that they are paralyzed by their lack of confidence in the front office (they hired) to make good signings. If that isn't the case and Dipoto has had more flexibility with payroll then you have to conclude he is utterly inept at getting players to sign here.