Tony Blengino, Special to ESPN.com 8y

Get ready, Seattle, your Mariners will be in the playoffs

MLB, Seattle Mariners

When a potential general manager interviews for an open position, he or she runs quite the gauntlet. Given the importance of the hire, ownership and upper management have the right to explore in a number of directions in an in-depth manner. Chief among their interests are the short- and long-term plans for the club at the major league level, with particular emphasis on the former.

Yes, the long-term outlook is important, but I'd surmise that the short-term plan elicits more focus from those making the hiring choice. Owners want to win, fill seats and improve their profit margins from television/radio rights fees, advertising and the like today -- not tomorrow. If a team's plight is anything other than an obvious teardown and rebuild, a candidate would be wise to have a plan to contend right away.

When Jerry Dipoto was hired by the Mariners, the rebuild vs. compete dilemma was a tough one. The team had been built to win in the 2013-15 window, but it didn't qualify for a wild-card game. The payroll was top-heavy, with $65 million invested in three slightly past-their-prime players in Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez, and the minor league system was weak, with subpar depth and a sprinkling of high-end talent such as Edwin Diaz, Tyler O'Neill and Luiz Gohara. The team also, amazingly, had absolutely no one capable of playing center field on the 40-man roster. No one would have blamed the new GM for recommending a rebuild, but Dipoto attempted to find a narrow path to a better place.

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