Beloved MLB Manager Abruptly Fired

After a promising start and AL West glory, the Mariners opt for a managerial change amid a disappointing slide, highlighting a need for a fresh direction.

The Seattle Mariners are moving on from Dan Wilson after a season that fell apart far faster than anyone in the organization expected.

According to a report from the Seattle Times, Seattle told Wilson on Sunday that he will not be back next season. The move comes after the Mariners followed up an American League West title and a deep postseason run with a brutal drop down the standings.

Wilson had stepped in for Scott Servais in August 2024 and helped steer Seattle to one of the best seasons in team history. The Mariners won the division last year and pushed all the way to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, where their World Series chase ended against the Toronto Blue Jays.

With much of the core returning, another run at the division looked very much in play.

That never materialized.

Seattle was 36-32 on June 9 and sitting three games up in the division. From there, the Mariners never found their footing and entered Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Angels at 75-86.

Wilson is the one who will pay the price, but the collapse was broader than the manager alone.

Cal Raleigh, coming off a record 60-home run season, dropped sharply at the plate. He entered Sunday hitting .177 with 23 home runs.

Julio Rodríguez also went through the worst offensive season of his career, Taylor Ward didn’t give the club the lift it wanted after the deadline, and injuries to J.P. Crawford and Brendan Donovan added to the mess.

The pitching staff was part of the problem, too. Andrés Muñoz went into the final weekend with 10 blown saves and a 4.24 ERA. Bryan Woo struggled on the road, George Kirby allowed 10.2 hits per nine innings, and Bryce Miller posted a 6.05 ERA after the All-Star break.

Wilson also drew criticism for some of his in-game choices during the skid, including a pitching decision that left Miller in long enough to issue seven walks in a 19-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Seattle’s season also included a staggering 22-0 defeat to Milwaukee late in the year.

A managerial change gives the Mariners a fresh start, but it won’t fix everything by itself. The next skipper inherits a roster with real talent, yet if Raleigh, Rodríguez and the pitching group don’t rebound, Seattle could be back in the same spot before long.

In Other News...

Dodgers Staff Suddenly Tied To A Mariners Search Fans Should Watch

The Mariners search for a new manager is already reaching well beyond Seattle, and it has put a couple of Dodgers staffers in the conversation. After parting ways with Dan Wilson following a disappointing 2026 season, team president Jerry Dipoto is looking for a candidate with major league experience, and the list of names being floated includes Dodgers special assistant Rocco Baldelli and first base coach Chris Woodward.

For the Dodgers, it is another reminder that a well-regarded staff can become a target when clubs start hunting for a proven clubhouse voice. Seattle is actively making calls around the league as it sorts through possibilities, with options ranging from established big league managers to familiar front-office and coaching names, so this could develop quickly if the Mariners decide one of those Dodgers connections is the right fit. [Read more 🡒]

Dodgers Fans Have A New Star Power Debate On Their Hands

Major League Baseballs 2026 All-MLB Team ballot has given Dodgers fans a fresh way to argue about star power, with eight Los Angeles players landing on the list after another season loaded with headline names. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani are among the nominees, a reminder of just how much elite talent the Dodgers keep stacked on the same roster when the league starts sorting through the seasons best performers.

Voting opens Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 9, with the selections set to be unveiled Nov. 11 at the MLB Awards show in Las Vegas. For a team that never seems to be short on All-Star-level choices, the real intrigue is less about whether the Dodgers will be represented and more about how the league will sort through so many familiar faces when the ballots are counted. [Read more 🡒]

Former Diamondbacks Outfielder Just Opened An Interesting NL West Door

Alek Thomas Dodgers stint never got as far as a major league cameo, but his path through the organization still left a notable footprint. The outfielder, who spent the 2026 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, was part of a midseason trade from the Diamondbacks to Los Angeles and later came off the Dodgers 40-man roster in early September before finishing the year with the Comets.

Now Thomas has elected free agency after the minor league season, leaving another layer to a quietly interesting NL West story. He helped Oklahoma City win both the Pacific Coast League title and the Triple-A National Championship, and his next move will be watched closely by a division that already knows his name well. [Read more 🡒]