As with every off-season and every Mariner GM, my assumption is that DiPoto is dealing with a pretty hard payroll cap. So, if he's been told "your payroll will not exceed $130 million and don't expect much of a bump next year", one can readily understand what he's going through. In that scenario, it's pretty tough to see spending $9mil on Trumbo. I mean, that's the price of the two good relievers that they still need. Seager's contract escalates next year, so he's got that to consider and it's tough to see him landing any of the "big name" free agents that will inflate next year's payroll. Managing a tight budget over time is unpleasant but it is what it is.
I'm with Matt (and Servais) - spend the bulk of what you have remaining on pitching.