Dipoto looking for lefty ‘pen help, rotation depth

SEATTLE — As general manager Jerry Dipoto and the rest of the Mariners’ brass fly to the Winter Meetings outside Washington, D.C., on Sunday, they’ll be lighter on baggage than many other clubs headed to the four-day gathering.

The Mariners already have done much of their heavy lifting and roster shifting, with Dipoto engineering six trades in the past month that checked off many of his offseason goals. But Seattle will still arrive at the Meetings with two specific pursuits remaining — adding a quality left-handed reliever and bolstering the rotation with a veteran to fill the hole created by last week’s Taijuan Walker trade to Arizona.

“Obviously we have been very active these last few weeks,” Dipoto said. “But we are looking to add some more depth and potential impact to our rotation. And finding a left-hander for our bullpen is something we’ve been eyeballing. Those are two areas we’ll continue to address. Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot we’re likely to do between now and Spring Training.”

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The free-agent market figures to open up more now at the Winter Meetings and beyond and there are some good lefty relievers available. And while starting pitching is thin, Dipoto says there are several candidates who could fit well with the Mariners and he’ll pursue all avenues to fill that need in the coming days.

MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 6 a.m. PT.

Club needs

Left-handed relief: Having dealt Mike Montgomery and Vidal Nuno over the past fourth months, Dipoto will definitely address an area that already was shy last year even before those deals. He has already added two prospects — Zac Curtis from the D-backs and James Pazos from the Yankees — while also claiming Dean Kiekhefer from the Cardinals. Boone Logan, Jerry Blevins and Javier Lopez are among the lefty relievers remaining on the market.

Rotation: Dealing Walker to the D-backs in a five-player swap that brought back shortstop Jean …

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