Earlier this morning, the Mariners made an unexpected announcement as they fired general manager Jack Zduriencik. While the final result wasn't surprising, as there were rumors that Seattle was debating Zduriencik's future, the sudden nature of his dismissal was. However according to Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners have been reaching out to executives to gauge their potential interest in taking over the reins.
#Mariners quietly have been reaching out to candidates. Have contacted former #Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd, among others, according to sources.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 28, 2015
In addition to O'Dowd, the Mariners have been connected to current executive vice president of the White Sox, Kenny Williams, as well as the former GM of the Padres and Diamondbacks, Kevin Towers. While nothing appears imminent, and it could ultimately take until the end of the season for them to install a new GM, it seems like this is the end for Lloyd McClendon.
He's been the manager since the beginning of the 2014 season, and has led the Mariners to a record of 136-133. They missed out on a potential playoff berth by just one game last year, and after adding Nelson Cruz in the offseason, expectations were sky high for 2015. Many predicted that the Mariners would reach the World Series, but they've failed to put any prolonged success together, and are ten games under .500 at 59-69.
With the team underperforming, McClendon was already on the hot seat, and with a new general manager coming in, the likelihood of him retaining his job has plummeted. While the Brewers have been telling potential candidates that Craig Counsell will remain as the manager, the Mariners are doing no such thing for McClendon.
Will not be a condition for the new GM to keep McClendon as manager.
— Curtis Crabtree (@Curtis_Crabtree) August 28, 2015
Unfortunately for McClendon, if ownership isn't going to stick up for him, it's unlikely that the next GM will. The season is almost over, and when 2016 opens, the Mariners will probably have someone new running the helm. If McClendon does get fired, MLB could be faced with something that hasn't happened since 1988.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This could mean that MLB will have no African-American managers on Opening Day for the first time since 1988. <a href="https://t.co/e7xKVjnQTu">https://t.co/e7xKVjnQTu</a></p>— Mike Bates (@MikeBatesSBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBatesSBN/status/637359869121589248">August 28, 2015</a></blockquote>
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