The Seattle Mariners’ stunning collapse has led the team to expect to replace manager Scott Servais with manager Dan Wilson, a source familiar with the Mariners’ plans told The Athletic, with an official announcement expected on Thursday.
The Mariners had gone from a 10-game lead in the AL West to falling to five games back in the standings, jeopardizing what seemed to be a push toward the postseason for a franchise still trying to win its first championship. Servais found himself in a frustrating situation, as the efforts of his talented pitching staff were consistently squandered by a lackluster offense that ranked last in the league by a variety of metrics.
Servais, 59, was in his ninth season as manager of the Mariners. Since taking over in 2016, he has compiled a 680-642 record (.514 winning percentage), but the team has only made the postseason in his tenure in 2022. The Mariners won a playoff series and defeated the Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series before being soundly defeated by the Astros in the American League Series divisional series.
Though it was a bittersweet ending, the playoff appearance ended a 21-year playoff drought that was the longest in North American professional sports at the time, but the Mariners missed the playoffs in 2023 and are in danger of missing the playoffs again in 2024 despite a strong start to this season.
Servais’ replacement, Wilson, represents a link to the franchise’s glory days. Wilson played for the Mariners from 1994-2005, spending most of that time as Randy Johnson’s batterymate. The 55-year-old Wilson has never served on a major league coaching staff or managed at any level, but he is a familiar face with the current team. He served as the team’s special assignments coordinator in spring training, where he developed a close relationship with starting catcher Cal Lowry, according to The Seattle Times. He also served as an announcer for the team’s affiliate, ROOT Sports.
Wilson takes over a team that is 64-64, five games out of the playoffs and on a three-game losing streak. It’s unclear whether Wilson will take the job permanently or on an interim basis. Either way, the personnel changes will increase scrutiny of Jerry Dipoto, who became general manager in September 2015. The Mariners open their next series on Friday in Seattle against the San Francisco Giants.
Going deeper
Rosenthal: Mariners’ lethargic offense is wasting their talented pitching staff
(Photo of Scott Servais by Brandon Slaughter/Getty Images)
