Mariners: Hollander completes memorable period with GM job

Justin Hollander has become the 10th General Manager in Seattle Mariners history, after being promoted to Executive VP & GM of Baseball Operations.

The Mariners confirmed on Sunday that Justin Hollander has been promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations. He will be responsible for all aspects of the baseball operation, while continuing to report to Jerry Dipoto.

Hollander is in his sixth full year with the Mariners, including three as Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations. He previously worked for nine years in the front office for the Los Angeles Angels.

The 44-year-old’s promotion completes/continues what has been a memorable period for him and the organisation. First, he led the negotiations which resulted in pitching ace Luis Castillo signing a five-year contract extension.

The end of the drought

This was followed last Friday, by the Mariners making the postseason for the first time since 2021. This ended what had been the longest active playoff drought in all four of North America’s main professional sports leagues.

Hollander shared how grateful he was for the promotion and to be with the Mariners. He released a statement which said:

“My family and I are incredibly excited about this opportunity,. Thank you to John (Stanton), Chris (Larson) and all of the Mariners’ partners. And thank you to Jerry. The chance to continue working with Jerry, Scott (Servais) and all of our baseball operations group as the General Manager and to be a part of playoff baseball coming back to Seattle is a dream come true for me.”

Dipoto became close to Holland during their time together with the Angels between 2011-15. Sharing his own thoughts about the promotion, Dipoto said in a statement:

“Justin has been an integral part of our Baseball Ops leadership group and a wonderful partner to me throughout our time together. His passion, intelligence, people skills and creativity show up every day. Moving forward, the Mariners are simply a better organization with Justin in this role.”

In truth, not much will change in terms of how Dipoto and Holland work together and share their duties. This promotion is more about rewarding the latter and recognizing how important he is to the organization.

The Dayton, Ohio native earned a Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University in 2001, followed by a law degree from the University of San Diego in 2004. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Whitney, and two children.

What kind of success are you predicting for the Mariners in the playoffs? One and done? Winning the opening round? More? Let us know in the comments section below.