Jerry Dipoto’s next managerial hire needs to come with a convincing baseball argument. Not sure if Rocco Baldelli’s withdrawal makes that argument harder to sell. Either way, the Mariners lost a candidate whose qualifications were easy to explain. He racked up seven seasons running a major league clubhouse and three trips to the postseason. Whoever gets the Mariners job will deserve to be judged on their own merits. Dipoto still has to show us what those merits will do for Seattle.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic , Baldelli withdrew because of family considerations. That’s fair enough. There’s no basis here for turning a family decision into a referendum on the Mariners. The consequence for Seattle is straightforward. Another experienced option is off the board, and the responsibility for choosing well doesn’t change.

Baldelli gave this search a useful measuring stick. He had managed through winning seasons, losing seasons and the pressure of October.…