The Seattle Mariners announced on Monday that Jerry Dipoto would be the team's next general manager, which has now begun to spur rumors regarding the status of manager Lloyd McClendon beyond the 2015 season.
McClendon is under contract through 2016, but the underwhelming performance of the Mariners this season has put a lot into question. That was first exhibited when GM Jack Zduriencik was fired back in August, after which assistant GM Jeff Kingston took over and orchestrated a number of trades and roster moves before the waiver deadline.
While Dipoto's hiring may foreshadow changes within the organization, McClendon spoke with the new general manager on Monday and was pleased with the conversation.
"It was great," McClendon told Greg Johns of MLB.com. "He's a very energetic, intelligent, dynamic, forward-thinking guy. I thought we hit it off pretty good and had very honest discussions about a lot of things, and it went very well."
"The one thing I told Jerry, and I meant this sincerely, I love Seattle, I love this city, I love the fans and I love working for this organization. But the fact is, Jerry has to be comfortable with me," he added, via Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle. "If he's not then I shouldn't be his manager. I think we hit it off pretty good. I thought it was very natural right from the start. This is a guy who played the game, who understands the game and certainly understands what I go through on a regular basis, and I thought it was pretty darn good."
This may indicate McClendon's future isn't as grim as previously suspected. When Zduriencik was fired, rumors suggested it was only a matter of time before McClendon was showed the door because he was selected by the former GM. However, the team opted to hang on to their manager even though it was a foregone conclusion they'd be finishing below .500 for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
McClendon and the Mariners missed the postseason by just one game in 2014 after a surprising 87-75 campaign. The club took a step backward in 2015, but there have been many factors out of McClendon's hands, such as down seasons from Robinson Cano, Mark Trumbo and Mike Zunino as well as a banged up starting rotation.
Then again, in McClendon's seven years as a manager, he has only one winning season and is 336-446 in five years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and two with the Mariners. He is also realistic about the possibility of being fired after the season.
"I'm under contract to manage next year, and hopefully I'll manage the club," he added. "So beyond that ... if you're looking for security in this game, you're in the wrong business. That's me and every other manager."
