Brady's Spin: The Mariners Didn't Have to Give Dan Wilson the Full-Time Manager's Job

The Seattle Mariners announced that longtime catcher Dan Wilson is the new manager of the team moving forward on Thursday afternoon. While that comes with some nice security for Wilson, was it really necessary?

Seattle Mariners former players Jamie Moyer and Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. react during the induction ceremonies for Mariners former player Ichiro Suzuki in to the Mariner Hall of Fame before a game between the Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park in 2022. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, the Seattle Mariners fired longtime manager Scott Servais and named longtime catcher and team Hall of Famer Dan Wilson as his replacement.

While most people were not surprised to see Servais let go, most people were surprised to see Wilson get the job. After all, he has never held a managerial post full-time at any level of affiliated ball.

When you unpeel the onion, the Wilson hiring makes a little more sense. He is a likable figure in team history, he is still very connected to the area, he's known many of these players through his role as a roving instructor and also did manage several of them at the alternate site during the COVID 2020 season. He also knows the organization and knows what it takes to win, having been on four different Mariners playoff teams. Furthermore, he won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds as well.

So that decision seems a little less shocking now, but what is still shocking is that the Mariners have evidently named Wilson as the full-time manager, not just the interim.

Jerry Dipoto confirms Dan Wilson is the manager moving forward, not just the interim.
"We've known Dan almost his entire professional career. Walking in the door as an interim-anything doesn't allow you to really lay any groundwork."

— Alyssa Charlston (@Alyssacharlston) August 22, 2024

Now, I've seen some speculation that Wilson is still really the interim and they are just saying he's not. That's some high-level sorcery that I don't want to get into, so let's just take the M's at face value.

My question is this: Why did the Mariners feel the need to give Wilson the job permanently? The organization has no idea if Wilson is a good manager yet, nor does it know how the team will respond to him. Furthermore, by giving him the job now, they are closing themselves off to potential free agent managers like Skip Schumaker of the Miami Marlins. They are also closing themselves off from their own in-house candidates like Manny Acta and Kris Negron, not to mention just simply hearing ideas from other people who may walk in through the door.

Wouldn't it have made sense to talk to other people and actually see how Wilson does first?

This whole discussion was a major part of our most recent "Refuse to Lose" podcast, which you can listen to below:

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