'We failed him': Mariners react to organization moving on from Wilson

SEATTLE -- Moments after Dan Wilson emotionally announced that he would not return as Mariners manager, players shared a disappointing sentiment in the home clubhouse at T-Mobile Park.

“As a group, we failed him much more than he failed us,” Bryan Woo said.

“I feel terrible,” Cal Raleigh added. “I feel responsible. I think every guy in this clubhouse does. Unfortunately, that’s how it goes. It’s business sometimes, and unfortunately that’s what happens when you don’t perform.”

“I feel like we let him down, to be honest,” Logan Gilbert said. “That's kind of the nature of the business -- that we underperformed and lost games. And sometimes, we pay the price with our jobs as players, and sometimes, other people pay the price, and so definitely feel responsibility, accountability for that.”

Wilson revealed that the decision had been brewing for a few days and called a team meeting before Sunday’s regular-season finale to inform the players and staff. It’s expected that there will also be turnover among coaches, but to what extent remains unclear.

A press release from the club shortly after Wilson’s postgame press conference read that the move came “following conversations this week” and designated Wilson’s departure as “it was concluded” after those correspondence. Wilson also used the word “concluded” in a preread statement he read before taking questions.

“It’s a tough job,” Julio Rodríguez said. “We can all sit on the couch and think, ‘I could have done this, we could have done that.’ There’s always things around that. But he’s a great guy who helped us get better in different ways. I’ll always have love for him, the person he is. He always treated me with respect, and that goes for a lot of the guys. I’m just happy that I got to know him better as a manager and as a person, too. I wish him the best.”

When Wilson was hired in August 2024, to replace Scott Servais, he did so with no managerial experience at any level. But he offered a fresh voice and a more player-driven approach, pushing those within the clubhouse to take ownership of the team.

Wilson also had close ties to many of Seattle’s homegrown core from his previous role as a special assignment coordinator on the Minors side -- no one more than Raleigh, a fellow catcher who immediately connected with Wilson after being drafted in 2018.

“If you ask anybody, nobody will ever say one ill word about him,” Raleigh said. “He’s a great person. He’ll do anything for you. He’s just a great, great human being in every aspect of life. It makes it that much more difficult.”

There was a sense of surprise among players who spoke on Sunday, but not necessarily shock. Yet, these are the types of moves that can come for teams that significantly underperform.

The Mariners, who reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series during Wilson’s first full season in 2025, finished five games back of first place in the AL West in ‘26, which Houston won despite an 81-81 record.

“Big league managers, you wear so much of what goes on throughout a season,” Woo said. “If the team does well, it’s because of the players; if the team struggles, it’s because of the coaches or managers. He wore so much this year. It’s tough. You build a relationship with a guy like that, it’s really difficult to see him wear everything this year.”

The Mariners have offered Wilson an opportunity to remain in the organization in a different role, which he said he’ll consider after taking time to process.

“He just made it really clear that he just cares about this team, this organization as a whole, that even though he’s not going to be around us, he’s always going to be there for us in many different ways,” Rodríguez said. “And that he believes in this group going forward.”

Wilson has been with the organization since arriving as a player in 1994 and is one of 11 members of the franchise’s Hall of Fame. He was beloved for his quiet intensity and being part of the many great teams of that era.

“It would be very easy just to not fill that hole when we needed somebody a couple years ago,” Gilbert said. “And he had all the success and is loved by the city, but he kind of put his neck out there again to try to win and take the heat for a lot of things throughout the last couple years. So that says a lot about him, too.”

The prevailing reaction was sadness and disappointment, because Wilson is one of the most likable people the organization has ever known.

“Just his authenticity,” Woo said. “His genuineness. The only thing you can ask for in terms of a relationship like that is truth, and that’s what you got from him every day. I don’t want fluff, I don’t want [B.S.], I want the truth, whether I like it or not. And he was always there to give it to you. That’s more than you can ask for.”

Josh Kirshenbaum contributed reporting to this story.