Mariners fire manager Scott Servais amid AL West slide
The Seattle Mariners, in desperate need of a spark with their season slipping away, fired longtime manager Scott Servais on Thursday. Dan Wilson, the longtime Mariners catcher who had been serving as a coordinator in the organization's minor league system, will replace him.
The decision was made by Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto -- a longtime friend of Servais -- in the wake of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the team eight losses in nine games. Seattle held a 10-game lead in the American League West as recently as June 18 and has since gone 20-33, falling five games behind the Houston Astros with only 34 remaining.
"Where we were in the middle of June and where we are today -- it's hard to believe, actually, how quickly it all dissolved for us," Dipoto said on a videoconference call.
The team also let go of hitting coach Jarret DeHart, whose firing comes less than three months after the dismissal of offensive coordinator Brant Brown. The Mariners, bolstered by a dynamic starting rotation, lead the majors in ERA but rank last in batting average. Their .654 OPS over these past 53 games ranks lower than every team except the Chicago White Sox.
"Collectively, we determined that our organization needed this," Dipoto said. "We needed to do something to create a different theme, a different vibe in our clubhouse. I'm not trying to throw Scott under a bus at all here. I can't say enough positive things about the things he did in contributing here, but I do think we needed a new voice."
Servais, 57, came over from the Los Angeles Angels alongside Dipoto and current general manager Justin Hollander following the 2015 season, inheriting a veteran team in transition. Three consecutive playoff absences triggered a rebuild that produced budding superstar Julio Rodriguez, cornerstone catcher Cal Raleigh and most of the current starting rotation.
The Mariners snapped a historic 21-year playoff drought with a 90-win season in 2022 but fell short of the postseason in 2023 because of a lackluster September. Fearing a loss of revenue due to uncertainty over the team's regional sports network, ownership opted against an increase in payroll during the offseason, prompting the front office to try to fix the offense with low-cost moves that did not pan out.
Newcomers Mitch Garver (.614 OPS), Mitch Haniger (.643) and Jorge Polanco (.672) all struggled; J.P. Crawford failed to replicate his offensive surge from 2023; and Rodriguez did not perform like his superstar self. The front office hoped to inject life into the lineup by acquiring Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner before the July 30 trade deadline, and the team responded by winning six of nine games at the start of August. Then came the nine-game stretch that put the club at .500 for the first time since April 24 and ultimately cost Servais his job.
Servais briefly met with players in the wake of Wednesday's sweep-clinching loss to the Dodgers and told them to use the upcoming off day as an opportunity to reset and prepare for the stretch run. It wound up being his final conversation with the team.
The next morning, he learned about his firing through a report in The Athletic, ahead of a scheduled meeting with Dipoto.
Dipoto expressed frustration with that dynamic, which added to the difficulty of firing someone he still considers a good friend.
"It was already going to be difficult, but that made it even more difficult," Dipoto said of the report. "I've known Scott for, boy, three decades. We were teammates as players. We worked together in Colorado and Anaheim, here in Seattle. We've worked together in just about every capacity that you can, from scouts to front office people to managers and executives.
"I trust Scott. I believe in his baseball. I believe in him as a human being. I think he did an excellent job and brought stability to this team by the time he joined in 2015 until now. Scott's been my friend for many, many years. I can't stress enough how tough this day was for me. And tougher for him, frankly."
Servais, in a statement later Thursday, called his time with the Mariners "one of the greatest honors of my career," and thanked the players, franchise and fans.
"To the city of Seattle, you embraced my family and me and we are forever grateful for your support. As this chapter closes, I leave with pride in what we've accomplished together and excitement for what the future holds," he wrote.
The 55-year-old Wilson, who played for Seattle from 1994 to 2005, has served in a variety of roles within the organization since retiring as a player, including special assistant for player development. Dipoto called him "an incredibly patient person, kindhearted."
"As soon as he walks into a room, you know he's there to help you," Dipoto said. "That is inviting to any player."
The Mariners hope it's enough to turn around a season that has quickly spiraled toward disappointment.
"Our goal here is that this team has five, six weeks here to get to a postseason," Dipoto said. "I know we haven't played like that for the last two months, but we have a lot of talent in that room. Most or all of us thought that this was the most talented team that we'd ever brought together, and we just haven't played that way, especially for the last few months.
"There's no reason this team can't get on a good run to finish it."