After just two seasons as the manager of the Seattle Mariners, both without a playoff appearance, Lloyd McClendon is without a job.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times first reported McClendon would be relieved of his duties due largely to a change in the balance of power in Seattle’s front office. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal confirmed the firing.
Greg Johns of MLB.com noted bench coach Trent Jewett, third base coach Rich Donnelly, outfield coach Andy Van Slyke and bullpen coach Mike Rojas were also let go.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported former Angels front office man Tim Bogar is the lead candidate to take over the helm.
The Mariners fired longtime general manager Jack Zduriencik in August, and he has since been replaced by former Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto. New executives often look to bring in their own guys, and Dipoto has done precisely that.
The Mariners went 163-161 in McClendon’s two seasons at the helm. While they missed the playoffs by just one game in 2014 with a 87-75 mark, they regressed to the tune of a 76-86 record this year despite high expectations.
McClendon previously spent five seasons as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager from 2001 to 2005, and he went just 336-446. He has just one winning season on his resume and has never reached the postseason.
The 48-year-old Bogar is a former major league infielder who served as an interim manager for the Texas Rangers last season and was a special assistant to Dipoto in the Angels front office in 2015.
Seattle has a talented team, headlined by starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Nelson Cruz, but McClendon wasn’t quite able to put all of the pieces together, which ultimately led to his demise.
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