Jon Daniels has taken himself out of the Athletics’ search for a new general manager, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, removing one of the more recognizable names from a wide-open process. Daniels has been working as a senior advisor in the Rays’ baseball ops department since November 2022, and he’d rather stay in that role and spend more time with his family than jump back into the daily grind of running a big league front office. He spent nearly two decades steering the Rangers’ operation, first as GM and later as president of baseball operations from 2005-2022.
Daniels was only recently tied to the A’s opening, but the club has been casting a broad net. Former Nationals president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo, former Astros GM James Click, Red Sox assistant GMs Mike Groopman and Taylor Smith, and A’s assistant GM Billy Owens have all been connected to the search so far.
Nightengale reported two weeks ago that Oakland wanted its new front office leader in place before the end of the season. That deadline has passed, though the expectation still is that the club will want to move quickly.
Elsewhere in the AL West, the Angels’ managerial situation remains unresolved. Kurt Suzuki said today that he still hasn’t heard anything about his future, telling MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters, “ honestly, there’s nothing happening right now.
Obviously, things can change in the next 24 hours, but as of right now, it’s still kind of status quo.” Suzuki was hired last winter on a one-year deal, and the short contract has made his status a talking point from the start.
The Angels’ loss to the Mariners dropped them to 62-100, sealing the franchise’s first 100-loss season. Suzuki’s not the obvious culprit for that collapse, given how thin and flawed the roster has been, but his contract situation makes it easy for the team to make a change while the organization is already in flux. Stan Kroenke’s purchase of the team is expected to be approved by the league, though not for a few months, and John Mozeliak’s status as interim general manager is still unsettled.
J.P. Crawford’s season came with more wear and tear than the stat line might suggest.
He spent three separate stints on the Mariners’ injured list because of inflammation in his right wrist and left shoulder, along with a right hand contusion, and the injuries clearly affected him even when he was in the lineup. Crawford told the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish, “ I’m not the one that make excuses, but more than half of the season I was playing with one arm.
It’s tough to do, but these last couple weeks, my body’s finally good and you can see what I could do.” He finished the 2026 season with 14 home runs and a .221/.335/.352 line in 489 plate appearances, good for a 105 wRC+, which looks sturdier once the health issues are taken into account.
With his contract now expired, Crawford is headed for free agency and said he wants to stay in Seattle, though the Mariners had not yet discussed a new deal with him as of last week.
And in Houston, the Astros are back on top of the division after winning four of their final six games, even with an 81-81 record. Lucas Spence played a huge part in that late push, blasting three homers in Thursday’s 7-5 win over the A’s and finishing the Astros’ last five games with four home runs and nine RBI.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic recently detailed how Houston signed Spence for $150K as an undrafted free agent in 2024, then watched him hit well enough in the minors to earn a promotion to the active roster in July. The Astros recalled him again last Wednesday, and he may now be in line to start in center field in the Wild Card Series because of injuries and inconsistency elsewhere in the outfield.
In 63 total plate appearances in the majors, Spence has hit .218/.317/.509 with four homers and nine runs scored.
In Other News...
J.P. Crawfords Final Mariners Moment Felt Bigger Than One Ovation
J.P. Crawfords final day of the season turned into something more than a routine late-game substitution. The longest-tenured player on the Mariners was lifted in the season finale at T-Mobile Park and greeted with a standing ovation from the home crowd, a fitting nod for a player whose time in Seattle has been defined as much by steadiness and leadership as by production.
Crawford is headed toward free agency, though he has made it clear he wants another run with the club. He finished the year with a .221/.335/.352 line in 116 games, but the numbers only tell part of why teammates and the organization made sure to honor him the way they did. For a team that leans heavily on continuity when it finds it, his departure would leave a familiar space to fill. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Signaled A Dugout Overhaul Fans Cant Ignore
The Mariners have started reshaping the entire dugout structure just one day after Dan Wilsons tenure as manager ended, making it clear this is more than a single personnel move. Seattle announced that bench coach Manny Acta, infield coach Perry Hill, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, and first-base coach Eric Young Jr. will not return for the 2027 season, a sweeping shift that touches nearly every part of the staff fans see from the field.
President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and General Manager Justin Hollander framed the changes as part of a bigger reset, saying significant changes are needed as the club looks toward 2027 and beyond. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to close the gap, the message is plain enough: this is the start of a broader overhaul, and the next set of moves will show just how deep Seattle plans to go. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Fans Just Got An Emotional J.P. Crawford Reminder
Before the first pitch, the Mariners gave Rick Rizzs a fitting sendoff, honoring the longtime broadcaster in an emotional pregame tribute after the club announced he will be inducted into the franchise Hall of Fame next season. The ceremony brought out franchise familiar faces and teammates, a reminder of how much Rizzs has meant to the organization and to generations of Seattle fans.
The night also carried a separate layer of emotion for J.P. Crawford, who was pulled from the game for a farewell moment in what amounted to the final contest under his current contract. With legends and teammates on hand to recognize him too, the scene gave Mariners fans one more chance to take in the shortstop's place in the club's recent history while his future remains an open question. [Read more 🡒]