Report: Mariners to fire manager Lloyd McClendon

The Seattle Mariners have become the latest team to dump their manager. After finishing 76-86 this season, the team will fire Lloyd McClendon, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. 

Things seemed promising during McClendon’s first year with the club in 2014. He led the team to an 87-75 record. That was only good enough for a third-place finish in the division. After the team retooled during the 2015 offseason, bringing in Nelson Cruz, many expected the Mariners to contend for the division crown.

That wasn’t the case. The team struggled out of the gate, winning just 76 games and finishing fourth in the American League West. In two seasons with the club, McClendon went 163-161, good for a .503 winning percentage.

[Related: Yahoo Sports’ MLB writers make their postseason predictions]

In some instances, a manager with McClendon’s record over two seasons would have received another opportunity. The Mariners, however, decided to overhaul the front office, leading to McClendon’s demise.

In late August, the team fired general manager Jack Zduriencik. The club brought in former Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto as his replacement in September. Once Dipoto was hired, many suspected McClendon might be out of a job.

Dipoto is known for embracing some of the newer stat concepts around the game, while McClendon is considered an old-school manager. The two reportedly had some productive conversations shortly after Dipoto was hired, but he still opted to go in a different direction.

Statement from Dipoto on McClendon: pic.twitter.com/iyLW84wi6K

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) October 9, 2015

Differing philosophies? That’s hardly a surprise. Dipoto was ousted in Los Angeles after a rift developed between him and manager Mike Scioscia. That divide reportedly developed because Scioscia wouldn’t embrace some of the stats and strategies Dipoto wanted to employ on game days. Owner Arte Moreno eventually sided with Scioscia, leading to Dipoto’s firing.

Because of that, it always seemed as though Dipoto would hire his own manager in Seattle. McClendon may have been willing to learn new concepts, but Dipoto couldn’t really take that chance after having issues during his last stop.

[Related: Pete Rose criticizes Blue Jays players for not playing through playoff injuries]

Dipoto is expected to bring in someone he’s familiar with, according to Divish. Angels special assistant Tim Bogar is considered the favorite to replace McClendon in the dugout. Bogar served as a bench coach with the Rangers in 2014, and was the team’s interim manager once Ron Washington left. He went 14-8 in that stint. After that, Bogar was hired by the Angels as a special assistant to Dipoto. 

Whoever gets the job will be the franchise’s ninth manager since they last made the playoffs in 2001. With Dipoto in tow, the hope is that there will be a lot more stability in the franchise moving forward. That starts with bringing in a manager who shares Dipoto’s ideology. As many expected, that wasn’t McClendon.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik