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'He threw out a slew of names and said, "We will overpay"'
Trader Jerry, as Dipoto is known, was at it again during the shortened 2020 season, now working for the Mariners. And again, it was the Padres on the other end of the phone. San Diego had a really good team and was looking for some specific help.
"They were trying to fortify and they needed a catcher," Dipoto said. "We had Austin Nola, who was going bananas for us in that short season."
Nola was hitting .306 with a 151 OPS+ when AJ Preller called Dipoto.
"We were in full rebuild mode but didn't have much interest in moving him, simply because it's a tough position to fill and he's a great makeup guy," Dipoto said.
But Preller wouldn't take no for an answer.
"He threw out a slew of names and said, 'We will overpay,'" Dipoto recalls. "AJ is that way."
In return, the Mariners received four players, including Ty France -- but it was a second,
late trade that year with San Diego that Dipoto liked even more. The Padres wanted reliever Taylor Williams.
"After doing the first deal, we're inside of 10 minutes until the deadline," Dipoto said. "We've asked for a number of mainstream players. They said no. But they had a guy in their farm system who had thrown one inning as a minor leaguer after being drafted the previous year. Then COVID hit. That was Matt Brash. We were so close to the deadline that I heard AJ cup the phone and yell, 'BRASH?' to one of his assistants. Then he gets back on and says, 'We'll do it.'
"It's the only deal I've ever done without seeing the medicals. There was no time. But Brash has been good for us."
Trader Jerry, as Dipoto is known, was at it again during the shortened 2020 season, now working for the Mariners. And again, it was the Padres on the other end of the phone. San Diego had a really good team and was looking for some specific help.
"They were trying to fortify and they needed a catcher," Dipoto said. "We had Austin Nola, who was going bananas for us in that short season."
Nola was hitting .306 with a 151 OPS+ when AJ Preller called Dipoto.
"We were in full rebuild mode but didn't have much interest in moving him, simply because it's a tough position to fill and he's a great makeup guy," Dipoto said.
But Preller wouldn't take no for an answer.
"He threw out a slew of names and said, 'We will overpay,'" Dipoto recalls. "AJ is that way."
In return, the Mariners received four players, including Ty France -- but it was a second,
late trade that year with San Diego that Dipoto liked even more. The Padres wanted reliever Taylor Williams.
"After doing the first deal, we're inside of 10 minutes until the deadline," Dipoto said. "We've asked for a number of mainstream players. They said no. But they had a guy in their farm system who had thrown one inning as a minor leaguer after being drafted the previous year. Then COVID hit. That was Matt Brash. We were so close to the deadline that I heard AJ cup the phone and yell, 'BRASH?' to one of his assistants. Then he gets back on and says, 'We'll do it.'
"It's the only deal I've ever done without seeing the medicals. There was no time. But Brash has been good for us."
