Seattle Mariners fire manager Lloyd McClendon
The Seattle Mariners have fired manager Lloyd McClendon, the team announced Friday.
Bench coach Trent Jewett, third base coach Rich Donnelly, outfield coach Andy Van Slyke and bullpen coach Mike Rojas have also been fired.
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman first reported McClendon was likely done with the team, and the Seattle Timesconfirmed the news.
McClendon led the Mariners to records of 87–75 in 2014 and 76–86 last season. The move is believed to be connected to the firing of general manager Jack Zduriencik, with new general manager Jerry DiPoto seeking to bring in his own manager. Seattle had another disappointing campaign in 2015 after missing the playoffs by one game in 2014.
McClendon is under contract for next season, reportedly for about $1 million, but the Times reports that Mariners leadership is allowing DiPoto to make his own decisions regarding who will run the team as his tenure begins. DiPoto clashed with Angels manager Mike Scioscia during his time as general manager in Los Angeles, which led to his July 1 resignation after almost five seasons with the team.
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“I have a great deal of respect for Lloyd, as a person and as a manger,” DiPoto said in a press release. “It is a credit to his professionalism that the team continued to play hard through the final day of the season. However, after extensive conversations it became clear to me that our baseball philosophies were not closely aligned. On behalf of the Mariners I want to thank Lloyd and his staff for their hard work the past two seasons, and I wish him the best moving forward.”
Whoever replaces McClendon will be Seattle’s seventh manager, ninth including interim managers, since the team last made the playoffs in 2001.
Both Heyman and the Times report Angels special assistant Tim Bogar is a favorite for the job. Bogar served as a special assistant to DiPoto in Los Angeles and is under contract with the Angels until Oct. 31. He was previously bench coach for the Rangers in 2013 and 2014, and managed the team to a 14–8 record in the final weeks of the 2014 season after Ron Washington was fired.
The Times report also named former Padres manager Bud Black as a candidate.
- Jeremy Woo
