Monday, October 19

SEATTLE -- To be sure, most among the Mariners’ core players said that the brunt of the blame for the 2026 season fell on them. And just as much, many felt responsible for Dan Wilson’s ouster as manager. 

That said, the page has firmly turned towards Seattle’s search for Wilson’s replacement, which gained its most traction so far last week. The club was in the process of meeting with Joe Espada, who has since not had his contract renewed to return as Astros manager, and more interviews are expected in the immediate future.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said that players won’t have a seat at the table throughout this exhaustive process. But they continue to have a voice on the club’s competitive direction and leadership. 

Many such conversations took place before everyone departed for the offseason. 

“We have talked, and it's been really productive,” Julio Rodríguez said the day after Seattle was eliminated from postseason contention. “And I'm glad that we're having good conversations, and we all just focus on how to be better, and that's what the focus needs to be -- because we have the talent, and we shouldn't sleep on that.”

Yes, the Mariners do have the talent. 

They ran it back with an almost identical roster that, less than 12 months prior, nearly reached the World Series, which gave them the American League’s highest odds to reach this year’s Fall Classic, per FanGraphs. But their season-long lapses spanned the entire roster, and many were self-inflicted.

“Accountability” became the buzzword among those observing the club closely -- via the fanbase and media, and eventually, the front office and clubhouse itself. 

Was that a fair criticism?

“I think it's completely fair,” Logan Gilbert said. “Like, we obviously didn't perform. That starts with the players, it starts with me. We had high expectations and didn't get there, and you can't point the finger anywhere else. We need to start with ourselves. So I think all that's fair for people to say.”

Those shortcomings, intangible and controllable, are where the coaching staff’s roles became more magnified -- and ultimately, led to Wilson’s departure along with four members of his staff. 

Establishing measures of accountability will be a leading criteria for whoever takes over.

“I just think that we're a few key pieces [away] -- not in terms of players -- but values and standards and things,” Bryan Woo said. “A concrete identity that brings everybody together, you know? I think this year, we were looking for it all year, and it just kind of never came. But I think that moving forward, it’s something that we have to establish as a group before we really get going.”

Communication is another paramount quality that the Mariners are seeking in their new manager.

“Every single aspect needs to be geared towards, how can we win this ballgame today?” Cal Raleigh said. “Not taking days off. Not just letting one thing slip it through the cracks. Because once that happens, it's a domino effect, right? You let one thing slide, then you let another thing slide. The next thing you know, you don't know what's going on. There's no standards. There's no accountability. There's no dynamic of who we are and what we do -- and I think that's what's going to be looked at.”

Having difficult conversations will be part of that communication criteria.

“We're grown men here, and we're trying to get to the same goal,” Raleigh said. “And if it hurts somebody's feelings, then it hurts somebody's feelings for a day. But at least it got taken care of, whatever that situation may be. But that's something that will get addressed and be better next year for sure.”

Woo, Gilbert, Rodríguez and Raleigh are the homegrown players who’ve blossomed into All-Stars. As they’ve ascended, so too has their dialogue with the front office. 

“It’s like, how do you take what we do well with each other and our competitive advantage, our chemistry that we have in the clubhouse,” Woo said, “and combine that with a style of play, and actionable and controllable things that everybody can commit to, and everybody is working collectively towards one common goal. It's not results-driven. It's all process-based stuff.”

Added Gilbert: “We need to be very defined this offseason and who we are, what we do, what we're about, standards, all that kind of stuff. That’s not stuff we haven't ever done, but just it's always important, especially after a year like this.”

Whoever inherits this job will face expectations amid the aftermath of arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history. But they will also have a core group in place, and potentially, the chance to immediately turn things around.

“I do believe we have the pieces,” Rodríguez said. “I do believe we're going to be doing the right things to ascend from this. But it's all about that response.”

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