What accountability looks like around the Mariners has become one of the loudest questions hanging over the team, and the answer isn’t as simple as fans want it to be.
The frustration is easy to understand. In plenty of corners of the fan base, the word keeps coming back to the same places: Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, Dan Wilson, and the players themselves.
Some fans believe the front office should answer for the roster. Some want Wilson to be held to a higher standard for the way he’s managed the club.
And on the field, there’s been no shortage of examples fans point to when they talk about missed assignments or mental lapses.
That’s the backdrop for a recent conversation on the “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast, where ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney talked through what accountability actually looks like in today’s game - and why the old-school version of benching a player for a mistake doesn’t happen nearly as often anymore.
“It doesn't happen nearly as much as it used to. I mean, the No. 1 rule for managers these days is that you don't show up a player. You protect your player.
I mean, just look at the Ketel Marte situation with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The guy doesn't show up for a game, right? This is after last year going AWOL from the team for a weekend, and then not apologizing for weeks for that afterward.
And yet, you saw Torey Lovullo really trying to thread a needle. On one hand, trying to speak honestly and openly.
And I'm sure that he did that privately with some of his players, and there probably was a lot of anger, but also understanding that Ketel is a sensitive guy, and if you criticize him publicly, you might lose him. And this is a guy who's one of their three best players.
My question about Julio making those mistakes is, who on that team would go to him and say, 'hey, what are we doing here? You know, let's step up.'
Is Cal Raleigh going to be predisposed to speak out loud and, you know, cajole teammates this year? My guess is probably not.
Josh Naylor has not had a great year. Is he a guy who's going to be on someone?
J.P. Crawford's been hurt a lot.
You go around the diamond, you know, who among the players, because, yeah, sure, a coaching staff, somebody could say something, but it just comes differently when it comes from a player.
So who's that player on the Mariners who has the credibility in the room and the stature in the room to go to another teammate and say, 'you need to clean it up?'”
That question hangs over everything. It’s not just about whether someone in the dugout can deliver a message. It’s about whether the Mariners have the kind of voice inside the clubhouse that teammates will actually hear.
And the standings don’t give Seattle much breathing room. The Mariners are 66-76 with 20 games left, sitting seven games behind in the American League West. Their playoff odds are down to six percent.
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Dan Wilson has already acknowledged the issue on both ends of the staff, pointing to trouble in the rotation and bullpen alike. The timing makes it even tougher because Matt Brash is shut down for the season, leaving Seattle with one less high-leverage arm to lean on as it tries to stop the bleeding. The bigger question now is whether the Mariners can patch this together quickly enough before the seasons last stretch becomes defined by what their pitching staff could not hold together. [Read more 🡒]