Latest Dan Wilson rumor should provide Guardians fans with even more Stephen Vogt appreciation

The Seattle Mariners have been one of the most disappointing teams in MLB this year. After coming within a game of making the World Series last season, they’re entering Monday with a 73-83 record and have been all but eliminated from the postseason race. 

And it seems like those struggles aren’t going to go without some franchise-altering ramifications. Over the weekend, The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude put out a new story breaking down the Mariners’ struggles this season, where he wrote, among other things, that it's “unlikely" that Dan Wilson returns as the Mariners manager next season. 

While that’s not that surprising considering how lethargic Seattle has looked for most of the season, firing Wilson would mark Seattle’s second managerial change in the past two-plus years. Meanwhile, Stephen Vogt has been a mainstay on the first step of the Guardians’ dugout in that time and is about to lead Cleveland to its third straight postseason berth. 

The Guardians may not have reached the highs of the Mariners’ 2025 season under Vogt’s tutelage, but they’ve been one of the most consistent teams. 

The Mariners' looming Dan Wilson decision should make Guardians fans appreciate Stephen Vogt even more

Although a lot of the Mariners’ struggles this season can be traced back to some top-to-bottom regression from big names up and down their roster, the buck stops with Wilson. 

The team’s biggest regression has been Cal Raleigh, who has a .670 OPS and 23 home runs after finishing last season with a historic 60-homer campaign. 

Julio Rodríguez has also taken a step back, while old friend Josh Naylor is in the midst of the worst season of his career after the Mariners gave him a five-year, $92.5 million contract. The Guardians never seemed to want to give Naylor a long-term extension, and his production this season validated their decision to not do so. 

Raleigh and Naylor will also be playing in their age-30 season. They’re not past their primes, but they’re also not spring chickens.

They also didn’t get much from trade deadline acquisition Brendan Donovan, who seemed like a clear Guardians trade target. Another potential mistake the Mariners saved the Guardians from making. 

They have a strong pitching staff (so strong they traded Luis Castillo to the White Sox at the deadline), but that’s only going to take them so far if their expensive position players aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. 

Earlier this year it looked like the Guardians and Mariners were going to be battling for one of the American League’s final Wild Card spots, but the Guardians surged to the front of the line in the AL Central while the Mariners went 20-31 across July and August. 

Stephen Vogt may not be a perfect manager, but the Guardians’ consistency under his watch shows just how strong of a manager he is. 

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