DALLAS -- Jerry Dipoto joked on Monday afternoon that his Mariners front office colleagues put the over/under for his transactional tally once this week¡¯s Winter Meetings are done at one.

¡°I¡¯m bored, we¡¯ve got to get going,¡± Seattle¡¯s president of baseball operations quipped at his reputation as one of the sport¡¯s most active in his role.

Indeed, Dipoto descended on baseball¡¯s premier offseason event this week in Dallas with a shorter-than-typical winter shopping list and more limited avenues to fill those voids than the game¡¯s top spenders. On the heels of the largest domino falling at the Meetings¡¯ outset on Sunday night -- Juan Soto agreeing to terms on a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets -- the free-agent and trade markets should soon gain steam, though Seattle¡¯s specific situation could take longer to manifest.

¡°We've not really gone past surface level in just about anything outside of free-agent pursuits,¡± Dipoto said. ¡°And to that end, I would say that we¡¯re not in the red zone on anything.¡±

The Mariners are in the market for a corner infielder, potentially two, and roughly $15-20 million to spend, according to sources, a financial figure that will leave the trade market as their clearest path for upgrade(s) and/or free-agent deal(s) of lower cost.

Though they feel comfortable at second base with in-house options Dylan Moore, Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss, they¡¯re open to adding at that position for the right player. They also view prospects Cole Young (ranked No. 2 among their MLB Pipeline Top 30) and Ben Williamson (No. 15) among their internals as legitimate contributors in 2025, albeit later on.

¡°We think that the second and third base positions are kind of fluid for us,¡± Dipoto said, ¡°meaning that if we have that [aforementioned] group of players, we can count on that group to fill one spot, and the other is likely to come externally.¡±

To that end, the Mariners have been linked to the Cubs¡¯ Nico Hoerner, with one industry source suggesting that Seattle could ¡°get creative¡± by looping in other teams for a hypothetical multi-team trade for him. They¡¯ve also engaged the Phillies on All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm, according to another source, but the asking return involved Logan Gilbert or George Kirby, which is a non-starter. They had a similar exchange with the Red Sox for first baseman Triston Casas, the source added, which subsided conversations.

Indeed, their most coveted commodity -- starting pitching -- is an area that they¡¯re adamant about retaining, which has ¡°resulted in a lot fewer phone calls¡± on that group, Dipoto said. As such, it could limit the Mariners to their No. 9-ranked farm system as their most attractive area to deal from.

But interest in prospects at this time of year isn¡¯t nearly as high as at the Trade Deadline, as virtually all teams are seeking MLB-ready talent, though the Mariners anticipate this dynamic changing after higher-profile players following Soto begin signing.

¡°Once that part of the free-agent market starts to dry up or disappear, then teams are usually a little bit different than their behaviors,¡± Dipoto said.

Among the top free agents is a pitcher just added to the market -- starter Roki Sasaki, who was just posted by his Japanese team and whose window to sign with MLB clubs will begin on Tuesday.

Sasaki reportedly plans to wait until the 2025 international amateur signing period begins on Jan. 15 to agree to a deal, which in turn could impact the Mariners. Because he¡¯s only 23 and played fewer than six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki is subject to international bonus pool money restrictions -- much like Shohei Ohtani was when he arrived and joined the Angels for a $2.315 million signing bonus.

A fettered financial market for Sasaki will widen his net of suitors, but the Mariners¡¯ track record for cultivating pitching talent and keeping it healthy could benefit them.

¡°With the obvious exception that we don't have trophies, we have established ourselves over the last four seasons as a really good team,¡± Dipoto said, ¡°that we¡¯re in the mix year in and year out. ... We are, I think, positioned better than most to be able to accommodate a six-man rotation, if that's required. There are a lot of positives that are potentially in our favor.¡±

If the Mariners sign Sasaki, the outlook of their entire offseason would change -- potentially allowing them to pivot and deal a starter. But because he reportedly won¡¯t sign any time soon, that factor is another among the many that could slow-play them sorting out the rest of their 2025 roster.