9/28/26
(Seattle, WA) Things didn’t go as planned in the 2026 season for the Seattle Mariners. After just being eight outs away from the franchise’s first trip to the World Series in 2025, the M’s took a major step back, finishing the 2026 season below .500 at 76-86 and missing the playoffs in one of the weakest divisions the sport has ever seen. The Houston Astros became the first team to ever make the playoffs with a .500 record and yet the Mariners couldn’t capitalize on the weakness of the west despite entering the season as the favorite to win the American League pennant.
With all those disappointments, the team made their first big change for 2027 right after the final out was recorded in the 2026 finale on Sunday. The Mariners ended the season with a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, handing the Angels their first 100-loss season in franchise history. Emotions were flowing as legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs signed off for the final time, addressing the fans and team in a tear-filled and inducing speech to cap off a 41-season career as the radio voice of the Seattle Mariners. There were still plenty of tears to come.
In a postgame press conference, Seattle Mariners Hall of Famer and manager Dan Wilson announced that he will not be returning to his managerial duties next season. Wilson thanked the fans and the organization while fighting back tears. It was quite the up-and-down 2 1/2 seasons for Dan the Man that saw him inherit a lifeless team in 2024 that ended on a high note to earn him a full season in 2025. Wilson led the team to a 90-72 record and into Game 7 of the ALCS before the dream was ended in Toronto. This year marked the end for Wilson as a manager and he finished his tenure with a 187-171 record. Wilson becomes the third consecutive manager of the franchise to end his tenure with a winning record following Lloyd McClendon and Scott Servais.
Seattle announced on Monday a lot more changes to the coaching staff. Bench coach Manny Acta, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, infield coach Perry Hill, and first base coach Eric Young Jr. were all announced as not returning to the coaching staff in 2027.
Of course, it wasn’t just Dan Wilson’s fault that this season went up in smoke. Cal Raleigh called it a “collective failure,” and pointed the finger at himself as well as a large part of the team didn’t live up to expectations. President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto is also being scrutinized by fans as well as ownership for a lack of spending and a lack of getting big name free agents to the Pacific Northwest. A sum off all these pieces gave the PNW one of the most disappointing Mariners seasons ever, which says a lot with their historical lack of success.
The manager will always be the fall guy, however. Just ask Rob Thompson and Alex Cora who were both fired in May and now are watching the teams that fired them play in the postseason as Philadelphia and Boston begin their Wild Card series on Tuesday. The hiring of Dan Wilson after Scott Servais was relieved of his duties in 2024 definitely felt temporary and felt more like a move to get fans excited. The success forced the team to give him another year and getting closer than the team ever has to a World Series was the result. There was a lot of discourse among fans about Wilson this year but now he will return to being the beloved former player rather than the ridiculed manager.
Seattle will be looking for their third manager since the start of the 2024 season and it should be a pretty attractive job opportunity. The Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball and a very talented young core that just keeps growing with Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor leading the way while new faces popped up this year like Colt Emerson, Lazaro Montes, and Michael Arroyo. Some enjoyed breakout seasons as well as Dominic Canzone became an everyday player and Cole Young seemed to become the answer to the Mariners longstanding issue at second base.
It will likely not take too long for the Mariners to find their next manager as they would like to get a deal done by the time the looming lockout begins on December 1st. Some names to watch are Torey Lovullo from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brandon Hyde who helped turn things around in Baltimore. It is anyone’s guess who ends up leading the team in 2027, but they will have a fanbase with large aspirations expecting quick results.
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