Scott Servais’ time as manager of the Seattle Mariners ends shortly before the end of his eighth season with the team.
Drayer: Looking at Scott Servais’ legacy, why Mariners let him go
The Mariners announced Thursday afternoon that Servais has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately, with former M’s catcher Dan Wilson taking over as the team’s new permanent manager.
The revelation was initially reported Thursday morning by Ken Rosenthal and Marc Carig of The Athletic.
In addition to the managerial change, the Mariners fired hitting coach Jarret DeHart. In a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, Mariners head of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto stated that Wilson would announce additional coaching staff changes on Friday, before his debut game as manager.
The #Mariners are reportedly set to relieve Scott Servais of managerial duties, per @Ken_Rosenthal. @michaelbumpus5 and @StacyRost react now on @SeattleSports – stream or watch live:
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đź“ş: https://t.co/nOxKNgmaMm pic.twitter.com/eoDKRQZhyN— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) August 22, 2024
What a managerial change could mean for the rest of the Mariners’ season
Servais’ resignation comes after a meltdown in the second half of the season, which has seen the Mariners fall from 10 games ahead of the AL West in mid-June to five games out of a postseason berth only two months later.
“We believe that we need a new voice in the clubhouse,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto stated in a press statement. “Dan is well-versed in our organization, having worked with athletes at all levels for the previous 11 years. He is well respected both inside and outside of our clubhouse, and we are convinced he will do an excellent job guiding our group through the last six weeks of the season and moving beyond.
“I’d like to thank Scott for his efforts here in Seattle over the last nine seasons. He has put his love into the team and our community, and I know I speak for the entire Mariners organization when I congratulate him for his efforts.”
The File: A closer look at new Mariners manager Dan Wilson
The Mariners will begin a six-game homestand Friday, returning to T-Mobile Park after losing eight of nine games on a difficult road trip through Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles, during which Seattle’s offensive troubles were highlighted. The Mariners are 64-64 entering Friday, a precipitous drop from their season-high 13 games over.500 (44-31) on June 18. It’s the first time they’ve dipped below.500 since April 24, when they were 12-12.
Just before the Mariners’ last trip, they swept the New York Mets at home and were virtually tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the division. Not even two weeks later, the M’s are in risk of falling totally out.
Scott Servais’ Seattle Mariners tenure
Servais, 57, was named the Mariners’ 20th manager before the 2016 season. Servais, a former catcher who spent 11 seasons in the major leagues with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and San Francisco Giants, joined the Mariners as a first-time manager at any level following a decade working in baseball front offices. He was the Texas Rangers’ senior director of player development from 2004 to 2010, and the Los Angeles Angels’ associate general manager under Jerry Dipoto from 2011 to 2015
According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, who discussed the situation on Seattle Sports’ “Wyman and Bob” on August 19, both Servais and Dipoto’s contracts are set to expire at the end of the season, though there are options for extending them into next year.
Servais has become the second-most successful manager in Mariners history, trailing only Lou Piniella (1993-2002) in wins, winning percentage, and games managed. Notably, Servais is the only manager besides Piniella to lead the Mariners to a postseason appearance. He has also been the first to manage the Mariners for more than three seasons since Piniella, with eight different managers (including interim ones) rotating through the position between Piniella’s final season in 2002 and Servais’ start in 2015.
Under Servais, Seattle posted a winning record in five of his eight full seasons, including back-to-back 90-72 seasons in 2021 and 2022, an 89-73 record in 2018, and an 88-74 record in 2023. The Mariners reached the postseason in 2022 as a wild card, sweeping the Blue Jays in Toronto in a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series. However, they were subsequently swept by the Astros in the AL Division Series, culminating in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in 18 innings, which marked Seattle’s first home playoff game in 21 years.
Despite their 2022 breakthrough, the Mariners have struggled to build on that success in the following years. Despite having one of the best starting rotations in baseball, Seattle’s offense has faltered, especially with strikeouts. This season, Mariners hitters lead MLB in strikeouts, rank last in batting average, and are near the bottom in most other key offensive categories.
The Mariners have a day off on Thursday before starting a homestand against the San Francisco Giants at 7:10 p.m. on Friday at T-Mobile Park.