A few weeks ago, the owner of the Colorado Rockies, Dick Monfort, said he believed his team “can play .500” ball in 2023.
That line was rightfully criticized and it shows how depressing it must be to follow a franchise with such an owner.
Others, however, are much more ambitious.
Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto shared the organizational goals and they sent a clear message to their fans: they are aiming high.
“Jerry Dipoto on M’s goals for 2023: ‘We feel we got meaningfully better this offseason. … Our goal is to win the division, and we feel we realistically can,'” the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude tweeted.
Jerry Dipoto on M's goals for 2023: "We feel we got meaningfully better this offseason. … Our goal is to win the division, and we feel we realistically can."
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) February 1, 2023
Dipoto is right: The Mariners got meaningfully better this offseason.
They traded for powerful outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who is capable of hitting 30 homers in 2023.
They also brought in solid outfield bat AJ Pollock via free agency, and traded for Gold-Glove second baseman Kolten Wong to solve their issues there.
They also brought in utilityman Tommy La Stella.
They have a young, talented rotation and a deep bullpen, so they really didn’t need to add too much there.
Will that be enough to take down the Astros?
Maybe, but Houston is still better, and a lot will have to go right for the M’s to win the division.
They showed in their playoff matchup, however, that they can compete.
Seattle has a realistic path towards the AL Championship Series if some best-case scenarios occur.
They have the rotation, the bullpen, and now the offense to think big.
Most importantly, they have a good farm and an aggressive general manager that won’t hesitate to look for deadline day improvements.
2023 might be an interesting year in Seattle.
NEXT: Mariners Have The Benefit Of Several Young Pitchers
