Dipoto high on Haniger; Seattle ‘making progress’

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Mariners have yet to make a move at the Winter Meetings, but if you listen to general manager Jerry Dipoto, one of the deals Seattle pulled off before arriving outside the nation’s capital could carry big ramifications for the team’s success this year and beyond.

Dipoto is understandably high on new shortstop Jean Segura, who was acquired from the D-backs the day before Thanksgiving in a deal that cost Seattle starter Taijuan Walker and young shortstop Ketel Marte. But the underlying element to that swap was the addition of outfielder Mitch Haniger, whom Dipoto feels could be a hidden gem and the athletic, right-handed-hitting corner outfielder his club sorely needed to find this offseason.

• Hot Stove Tracker

“For us, Haniger became a critical element of the trade,” Dipoto said. “We like the player. We like the upside. We like his physicality.”

In short, there’s not much Dipoto doesn’t rave about regarding the 25-year-old from San Jose, Calif., who was a supplemental first-round Draft pick — 38th overall selection — by the Brewers in 2012, and the D-backs’ Minor League Player of the Year last season before a late promotion to …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com