The Seattle Mariners are replacing manager Scott Servais with Dan Wilson, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Seattle once had a ten-game lead in the American League West, but now has a five-game deficit in the standings. The recent collapse will likely hurt their chances of a spot in the AL Wild Card. Servais, 59, was in his ninth season as the Mariners’ manager, compiling a 680-642 record. In his lone postseason appearance during his tenure, the Mariners won against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card series before getting swept by the Houston Astros in the ALDS.
One of 11 members of the Marins’ Hall of Fame, Wilson, 55, is in his 11th season in the organization. Wilson spent 12 of the 14 seasons of his career with the Mariners. Seattle will add a familiar face to their staff. Per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez is expected to join his old teammate on the Mariners coaching staff for the remainder of the season.
Hearing Edgar Martinez is expected to join old teammate Dan Wilson on the Mariners coaching staff for the rest of the season.
Martinez was the M’s hitting coach from 2015-18 and he’s been a special adviser for the club since.
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) August 22, 2024
Edgar Martinez Is Joining the Mariners Coaching Staff
The Hall of Famer was the Mariner’s hitting coach from 2015-18 and has been a special advisor for the club since. Both Martinez and Wilson played during the franchise’s glory days. Martinez spent his entire career for Seattle while Wilson played for the Mariners from 1994-2005, serving as Randy Johnson‘s batterymate. Despite working for the front office, he has never been on a big-league coaching staff or managed at any level.
Wilson takes for a club that is 64-64 and five games back of the final AL Wild Card spot. The Mariners have a strong pitching staff, but the hitters are collectively batting .216/.301/.365 this season. Their 27.7 percent strikeout rate is dead last in the majors, with the Colorado Rockies sitting at 26.1 percent.
Either way, the move will add more scrutiny on general manager Jerry Dipoto, who took over the role in September 2015.
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