Ex-Angels GM Fires Ex-Angels Farm Director in AL West Managerial Shakeup: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 22, 2024

John Froschauer-USA TODAY Sports

On the heels of getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers ending a 1-8 road trip, the Seattle Mariners shook things up on Thursday morning.

According to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Seattle is parting ways with manager and former Angels assistant general manager Scott Servais. Former Mariners catcher Dan Wilson will reportedly take over the role on an interim basis once the announcement is official.

Wilson is currently not on the coaching staff but has served as a special assignment coordinator for the Mariners in Spring Training.

Seattle is in the middle of a postseason race and has not been mathematically eliminated yet. However, its current position is a far cry from the 10-game lead it had on July 19 in the American League West standings. Since then, the Mariners have gone 20-32 for a .385 winning percentage which is the second-lowest in the league outside of the Chicago White Sox.

The Mariners have tumbled to five games behind the Houston Astros in the divisional race and 7.5 games back in the final AL Wild Card spot.

The blame shouldn't all land on Servais. The front office gambled at the trade deadline bringing in infielder Justin Turner and outfielder Randy Arozarena at the trade deadline but they haven't helped build a consistent offense to help one of the league's best pitching staffs.

Maybe it is time for the president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and the general manager Justin Hollander to realize their roster's shortcomings within their scouting and construction.

Servais leaves Seattle with a 680-642 record in parts of nine seasons. He entered this season as the second-longest-tenured and second-winningest manager in team history, behind only Lou Piniella in each category.

One of the former manager's greatest accomplishments with Seattle was clinching a Wild Card spot in 2022 ending a postseason drought that had lasted more than two decades.

Dipoto hired Servais in Oct. 2015, not long after Dipoto was fired by the Angels. He has been a baseball lifer with 35 years of experience in or around the game. He played in the Majors for 11 seasons then transitioned to front-office roles after his final season in 2001.

While the Mariners' managerial gig was his first, it shouldn't be his last. He has a lot to be proud of and should be a phone call away from another team ready to make a change next season.