SEATTLE -- Now that the Mariners have officially been eliminated from the American League West race, questions about the possibility of leadership changes emerged at the club’s forefront on Thursday afternoon.
Chief among them is the status of manager Dan Wilson -- which he addressed for the first time publicly.
"Obviously, tons of speculation, all that kind of stuff,” Wilson said. “And again, just trying to get through these next four days and push hard, finish up as strongly as we can and find some positives here at the end. Then, we take things as they come."
Wilson has been under increased scrutiny throughout Seattle’s six-month spiral, and there has been an elevated sense in recent days that he will not be back in 2027, sources have told MLB.com.
Sources also believe that no major changes are coming to the top of Seattle’s front office, as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are expected to return. Dipoto would be in his 12th season at the helm next year, Hollander in his 11th.
Wilson’s coaching staff could also be in doubt. If the Mariners do pursue a new manager, logic would suggest that a new hire would want to be part of assembling a new staff.
The club already relieved assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes of his duties on July 23. He had been the No. 3 in command, after director of hitting strategy Edgar Martinez, who explicitly came out of retirement to join Wilson’s staff in August 2024, and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who was brought on in tandem with Magallanes the following offseason.
On the pitching side, director of pitching strategy Trent Blank and pitching coach Pete Woodworth have been here since the rebuild and have been instrumental in the success of developing so many of the club’s homegrown arms. They were retained after Wilson assembled his first full-season staff ahead of the 2025 season.
Wilson’s comments on Thursday came shortly after the Mariners were eliminated in the AL West, by virtue of the Rangers defeating the Mets. That dropped Seattle 4 1/2 games back of first place with just four to play, and hours before they opened a four-game series against the Angels.
“It's tough to be in this spot,” Wilson said. “But we've spent a lot of time in this season, and I think now will be a time where, I think, reflection is very important, and understanding the things that we need to do to get better and the areas we need to improve on.
“And once this season is over, and we finish out this weekend and continue to play well throughout the weekend and gain some positive things from these last four games -- then I think that the reflection begins and we begin to look at the areas that we need to address.”
Wilson, who is one of just 11 members in the franchise’s Hall of Fame, is in his second full season as a first-time manager -- at any level -- and was brought on without an interim tag when the club relieved former manager Scott Servais of his duties on Aug. 23, 2024.
At that time, Wilson was in his 11th season in the organization on the front office and coaching side. His roving role had mostly been in the Minors, where he visited each affiliate throughout the year. That led to him building close relationships with many among the Mariners’ homegrown core, most notably with Cal Raleigh.
Raleigh, who fielded questions for 20 minutes, was asked if he anticipated changes.
“I don't know,” Raleigh said. “Like I said, my focus has been on the season and trying to finish strong, try to do as much as I can to help us. That'll be something that Jerry and Justin will evaluate. And ultimately, if they key us in on it, great. If not, it is what it is. But that's not really maybe my department, or I haven't heard anything.”