The Mariners changed plenty on Monday, but the pitching side of the staff is staying put for now.
Dan Wilson is out after a little more than two years as manager, and Seattle also moved on from bench coach Manny Acta, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, infield coach Perry Hill and first base coach Eric Young Jr. Yet Pete Woodworth and Trent Blank are sticking around, even with the organization in the middle of a broader overhaul.
That decision stands out because the results weren’t pretty down the stretch. Mariners pitchers finished with a 4.20 ERA, which ranked 19th in baseball.
The bullpen posted a 4.46 ERA, 22nd in the sport. After the All-Star break, Seattle’s team ERA jumped to 5.09, a mark that ranked 27th.
Still, Jerry Dipoto made it clear on Monday that the evaluation goes beyond the final 2.5 months. He pointed to the larger body of work from 2021 through the first half of 2026, when Seattle’s pitching group had been one of the better ones in baseball. In other words, he isn’t wiping out years of performance because of a rough finish.
The late-season collapse also didn’t happen in a vacuum. Injuries thinned the staff and forced others into heavier workloads.
Carlos Vargas didn’t make his season debut until late August, Cooper Criswell was out for most of June through early September, and Matt Brash was lost for the season in early June. Those absences put extra pressure on the bullpen, and the rotation didn’t help matters by failing to work deep enough into games.
That strain piled up, and the bullpen eventually wore down.
There’s also a bigger calendar issue hanging over all of this. A potential MLB lockout could make timing a major factor in how Seattle handles the rest of its coaching decisions.
As explained on the most recent edition of the “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast, once December 2nd hits, the lockout would take effect and players would not be allowed to have any communication with the coaching staff. Whether that lasts from December to February, or December to April, the result would be the same: no contact between players and coaches during that stretch.
That matters because Seattle still has to hire a manager before anything else happens with the staff. Dipoto said the search will be exhaustive and that the team will explore every avenue to find the right person. Because of that, there won’t be any movement on the coaching staff until the manager job is filled.
So the Mariners may still be weeks away from clarity, especially if they end up targeting someone from a team that is currently in the playoffs. And if Seattle is bringing in a new manager and a new staff in the shadow of a lockout, the clock starts ticking fast.
In Other News...
Mariners Must Decide Which Outfielder Is Actually Worth Keeping
Randy Arozarena gave the Mariners exactly the kind of spark they hoped for when they brought him in, turning in a strong season and finishing as the American League leader in runs while also earning the Mariners MVP award from the local Baseball Writers Association of America chapter. For a club that spent much of the year looking for reliable offense, that kind of production matters, and it is why the front office has a clear case to make if it wants to keep him around on a moderate-length deal.
Taylor Ward, meanwhile, did not offer the same kind of return after arriving in Seattle, and his struggles left the Mariners with a much different offseason question. If the goal is to trim dead weight and create room for a better fit, the recommendation is to move on rather than try to force a reunion, especially with Arozarena having already shown he can be a central piece of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Manager Search Now Comes Down To One Serious Commitment
With Torey Lovullo set to finish the season with his contract running out in Arizona, his name has quickly surfaced in the Mariners managerial search as Seattle weighs a replacement for Dan Wilson. Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall made clear Lovullo is highly regarded and would not be short on options if he does leave, which only adds to the sense that the Mariners are looking at a candidate with both experience and an established track record.
The bigger question is whether Seattle is prepared to make the kind of commitment that comes with a proven manager, both in approach and in salary. Jeff Passan has noted the Mariners could also lean toward first-time managers who better match the culture they want to build, so this search may end up revealing as much about the organizations priorities as it does about the names on the list. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face A Left Field Problem They May Not Solve Internally
Randy Arozarenas run with Seattle may be heading toward a familiar offseason reality: a productive player gets expensive fast, and the Mariners have to decide whether the fit is worth the price. John Stantons comments, along with the expectation that Arozarena will land a high-value deal elsewhere, have pushed the conversation from whether the club wants him back to how it can replace what he brought, especially in left field.
Jerry Dipoto has already acknowledged the need to fill that spot, but the internal choices are thin enough that the answer may not be simple. Cal Raleigh, Lazaro Montes, Michael Arroyo and Donovan are among the names being discussed, yet each comes with questions about experience or suitability in the outfield, which is why the Mariners are also being tied to possible trade avenues if they want to strengthen the roster without relying on a stretch. [Read more 🡒]