How does John Mozeliak stack up against other long-term general managers?

Jerry Dipoto, Seattle Mariners -- September 28, 2015

Jerry Dipoto, most recently known for his "54%" comment, took over for Jack Zduriencik near the end of the 2015 season. The Mariners hadn't been to the playoffs in 14 years, and the rabid fanbase desired postseason play. Dipoto would be unable to take his team to the postseason for the first 6 years of his tenure.

The Mariners have fought valiantly in the American League West under Dipoto's leadership, and they've had to try and overpower one of baseball's best teams during that time: the Houston Astros. The Astros' reign of terror began just before Dipoto took the helm, and he's had to fight an uphill battle ever since. This has inhibited the Mariners from taking a huge leap in the division and in the playoffs.

The Mariners have just 1 playoff appearance to tout during Dipoto's tenure, and they have toiled in the middle of the division for nearly a decade now. Their lone playoff appearance came in 2022, and the Mariners were trounced in the division series that year. While their winning percentage is decent, the lack of postseason success (and even lack of postseason presence) detracts from Dipoto's shine.

Mozeliak easily supersedes Dipoto in this comparison strictly due to Mo's playoff presence. 4 playoff berths compared to 1 isn't even close, and the Cardinals have just 1 season under .500 in the same span that the Mariners have 5. Dipoto doesn't measure up to Mozeliak in this comparison. Similar to Mike Rizzo, I wouldn't be surprised if calls for Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais to be fired begin to grow if the 2024 postseason doesn't pan out positively for the Mariners.