The Seattle Mariners have been a team to watch all season. If the season ended today, they would make the playoffs as one of the feel-good teams in all of baseball.
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The season doesn’t end today, of course, and with teams like the Tigers, A’s, Angels, and even the Yankees lingering in the playoff picture, nothing is guaranteed in Seattle. Even still, the Mariners believe that they have seen enough to commit to Executive Vice President and general manager Jack Zduriencik with a multi-year extension.
The Mariners announced the deal on Tuesday.
#Mariners extend Executive VP & GM of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik to a multi-year contract.
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2014
"We believe, with the efforts of Jack and staff, we are positioned to be a contender for many years to come.” #Mariners President Mather
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2014
The Mariners certainly have the pitching staff in place to contend for a long period of time. The battle is always on the offensive side of things, or so it seems, which is where the Mariners have focused some of their major moves in the last year. Most noteworthy is the mega-deal to which they signed Robinson Cano this past winter, while they also traded for Kendrys Morales this summer.
That search for offense might always continue to a certain extent, but the foundation of a good pitching staff will generally be more important. That bit of wisdom has finally come to fruition for the Mariners in 2014, something they hope will hold true for seasons to come.