Mariners make major decision on manager Scott Servais

Jun 29, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais (29) smiles before a game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners are in freefall, and they are trying to salvage their season by making a change at the top.

The Mariners are expected to fire manager Scott Servais on Thursday, according to Ken Rosenthal and Marc Carig of The Athletic. The team is expected to replace him with former Mariners catcher Dan Wilson, who has no coaching experience but has served as a special instructor during spring training.

This is a rather bold and desperate move for the Mariners, but “desperate” is a good way to describe their present situation. At one point in mid-June, they had a ten-game lead in the AL West. Two months later, they are now five games back and have lost eight of their last nine. Their season has been marked by an elite pitching staff, but an offense that has struggled, even in spite of a major trade deadline acquisition.

Servais was in his ninth season with the Mariners and had a 680-642 record overall. He will be remembered for helping break the franchise’s lengthy playoff drought with an appearance in the 2022 postseason, but the organization failed to capitalize on that momentum. Servais will now pay the price for that.