The Seattle Mariners and Jerry Dipoto just continue to make moves on what's been an already extremely productive offseason in the short time he's been with the organization. The move he made on Thursday night was an important one, and more than likely puts the finishing touches on a team that is completely revamped.
When Jerry Dipoto took over as GM, he clearly stated one of his main priorities was to re-sign veteran right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, and thanks to a little bit of help from the Los Angeles Dodgers, it has finally been completed. The Dodgers were prepared to give Iwakuma a three-year deal worth a reported $45 million over that span, but backed out once there were some red flags concerning his long term health. Iwakuma quickly returned to Seattle on a deal many would describe as team friendly.
Iwakuma's deal is worth one year with vesting options for 2017 and 2018.
Dipoto truly values a player with Iwakuma's abilities and has made that very clear on multiple occasions, and once again stated how big of a deal this is for this team.
“We said from the start that Kuma was a priority for us,” Dipoto said. “Obviously, the developments from the last few days allowed us to get back in the game. It’s a credit to our ownership; to (CEO) Howard Lincoln, to (team president) Kevin Mather, to our entire ownership group that we were able to get aggressive and find a way to bring Kuma back to the Mariners. We’re all thrilled. This is a big move for us. We feel like this really puts a finishing touch on what we think has been a very productive off-season.”
Iwakuma, 34, is coming off a season in which he put up a 9-5 record with a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts. In 129.2 innings pitched, he struck out 111 batters. He recorded his first career no-hitter this past season as well. In 111 career appearances (95 starts), Iwakuma holds a record of 47-25 with a 3.07 ERA. He is expected to return back to the second slot in the Mariners rotation behind Felix Hernandez.