FanPost

FFP: Jerry Dipoto should not bail on brunch at the last minute

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A former staff writer stops by to drop a FanPost! Take it away, Isabelle!

We all have that one friend.

You know the one.

They talk a big game, plan elaborate adventures, discuss all their new entrepreneurial ideas.

You're a good friend. You listen to their plans, agree with their ideas, but ultimately all this doesn't make much difference to you because, well, it doesn't effect you. The problem is that this friend has trouble following through on anything.

Going to a movie? They'll text you in the popcorn line that "something came up." Getting drinks during happy hour? They're just too exhausted after work. Meeting for brunch? You'll be loitering out front, because you can't be seated without your whole party, and they'll message that traffic was terrible so they just can't make it.

We were promised a rebuild. That promise doesn't mean anything though. Jerry Dipoto has a long history of getting, shall we say, creative with his public statements and plans, and, I cannot stress this enough, baseball does not care about what you want.

So we were told some words, so what?

But then those words were followed up by action.

It wasn't an aggressive, prepared-to-tank, Astros-like rebuild; those are no longer viable. But it was as resolute a dismantling as we've seen from this organization in recent years, all of it couched on the promises of a brighter, stronger, more flourishing future.

That's what made the offseason so much easier to endure. We could stomach the losses of stars like Edwin Díaz, Robinson Canó, James Paxton, and Jean Segura because those trades brought back young talent, the type around which an organization could rebuild upon. The minor league season is young, and the M's farm system has by and large been overshadowed by the beautiful absurdity of the big league club, but there's a vibrancy and hope to the Mariners system that hasn't been seen or felt in years.

Rather than looking at the 2019 Mariners in a vacuum, with a sense of frantic desperation - "Gotta strike while the iron's hot!" "If we just got one Player X then we'd be golden!" *extreme Lucille Bluth voice* "How much could one closer possibly cost, Jerry?" - I'm choosing to look at the season thus far as a piece of a far greater whole. And their success bodes well for the years to come.

Sure, many of the players on this current team likely won't still be in Seattle during the targeted "competing years," but much of the process behind their successes thus far will still be in place. We've heard Jeff Passan talk about the two analysts they've added to the clubhouse, and the new information they're supplying on opposing pitchers. We've seen this manifest in the early-season offensive explosion, but also in discipline and patience at the plate. Through a combination of analytics and coaching we've seen the org identify, acquire, and unleash talent that had previously been overlooked. The data will, of course, evolve, and the coaching staff may change, but the foundations for this success should remain.

It can be really hard to be a fan, with so much investment and so little say. For Mariners fans especially, I think it can be hard to simply sit back and...enjoy success. We know all-too well how swiftly the tides can turn, and we're a savvy bunch: it's in our nature to be constantly searching for that once piece, that one change, that could guarantee enough success. But this season is not do-or-die, as so many previous years felt; this season is merely one piece of the puzzle, Day 1 of a roadtrip, the first year of a rebuild.

So what I hope, this year, if you'll pardon a return to my most millennial of metaphors, is that Dipoto and the Mariners actually show up to brunch. It's a great spot, but it doesn't take reservations, so we might all have to wait around for a little bit until a table opens up, but oh, those waffles are so worth it.