SEATTLE — Want a number that will make you happy? Here's one: 90. That's how many games the Mariners won last year without Cy Young winner Robbie Ray and former All-Stars Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suárez and Adam Frazier. Those are the big names Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto added to the roster this offseason.
Want another one? Here you go: One. That's the ranking Baseball America gave to the Mariners' farm system two months ago — a system that is still teeming with talent.
I'll throw you another goody: 12. That's the number of MLB teams that will make the postseason this year, which could help end the Mariners' 21-year playoff drought.
But here's one you might not be quite as fond of: 22. That's where the Mariners rank in MLB payroll.
Pointing this out isn't necessarily a condemnation. It's more of a question. Spending money just to spend it is irresponsible. It doesn't always translate to winning, either. The Padres, Phillies and Angels were among the top 10 in payroll last year, and none reached the playoffs. The Rays, meanwhile, were 26th in payroll last year and won 100 games.
Developing talent can be just as important as buying it. But ... generally speaking, the teams that spend big win big.
The Dodgers haven't missed the playoffs since 2012 and have always had one of the top payrolls over that stretch. The Yankees have missed the playoffs just once since 2015, and we all know ownership over there is never stingy. The ever-generous Red Sox and Astros have enjoyed similar success. We know big-market teams generally come with big-market perks — but weren't we under the impression the M's were going to make a financial splash when the time is right?
Mariners chairman John Stanton met with the media last September after signing Dipoto to a multiyear extension. He spoke of the M's becoming a championship organization.
I asked about marquee free agents coming to Seattle. Stanton's response?
"Jerry's a baseball expert. And I rely on Jerry to make baseball decisions," Stanton said. "He has our confidence and will continue to have the resources necessary to execute and achieve the goal."
I suppose this quote is open to interpretation. What exactly does giving Dipoto the "necessary resources" mean? Right now, for instance, the Mariners payroll is at $92 million. The Blue Jays, who are 10th in payroll, are at $167 million. The Dodgers, who have the highest payroll, are at $275 million.
Does giving Dipoto the proper resources mean jumping to 15th in payroll? Tenth? Fifth? Or does jumping from 25th last year to 22nd qualify as an adequate leap forward?
Hey, it's not my money. I'm not going to tell someone how to spend it. But while I think fans are happy with some of the moves the Mariners made this offseason (you can't argue with signing the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner to a five-year, $115 million deal), I'm not sure most are convinced this is a playoff-bound squad.
Mariners manager Scott Servais joked about the "fun differential" Seattle enjoyed last year, as it regularly squeaked out one-run and extra-inning victories. But the reason the topic came up so much is that it's impossible to ignore that the Mariners won 90 games despite giving up 51 more runs than they scored.
That suggests there was a great deal of good fortune on the Mariners' side — a suggestion that regressing to the mean in 2022, despite adding some big names, is highly possible. Will ownership be asking itself in October, "What if we had just spent a little more?"
Again, I'm not the billionaire signing checks. I'm also not the director of baseball operations. I don't know who else the Mariners might have pursued or how much interest free agents have in coming to Seattle. I also know Dipoto isn't going to do anything rash.
During that media Q&A with Stanton in September, Jerry was asked about waiting for the right time to spend.
"We always knew that was going to be the case," Dipoto said. "Part of this (rebuild) was trading out veteran players for young players that we can build with and around, understanding that through salary arbitration and with the payroll flexibility we were creating, we were going to have a chance to augment that team in smart ways once we identified where the needs were."
The biggest need for this team is winning. Playoff-starved fans will tell you that. And if you want to spend time in the postseason, you generally have to spend money in the offseason.
