Jerry Dipoto remains president of baseball operations while Seattle overhauls its coaching staff in the first week of the offseason. Dan Wilson is out, and four other assistants have been let go.
In his chat with Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, John Stanton praised the club’s drafting, player development and health under Dipoto’s leadership, noting the solid foundation it provides.
All of those things led me to believe that Jerry’s the right guy to lead the baseball organization, Stanton said. But we needed to have a new manager, and that manager would work for him. But he would be responsible for delivering that championship at the major‑league level.
The 2026 season fell short of expectations. The defending AL West champs hovered around .500, staying afloat in a weakened league, yet they slumped after the All‑Star break, going 28‑37 and slipping to third place.
Seattle has rarely changed managers since Dipoto arrived. He hired Scott Servais in 2016, who led for eight years before Dan Wilson took over in 2024. Stanton confirmed Dipoto will lead the process to hire a new skipper. In my view, targeting an experienced manager is the smartest move.
While the search for a bench boss intensifies, the club also eyes a replacement for left field. Free‑agent Randy Arozarena is expected to test the market, Jude reported, citing Dipoto’s hints at Monday’s press conference.
Obviously, we have free agents coming up, Dipoto said. We need to refill those voids, and they’re not small voids to refill, especially Randy in left field, but we are excited about our young players.
Arozarena landed at No. 4 in the final Free Agent Power Rankings, delivering a 151 wRC+ season with 26 homers, 26 steals and a career‑high 113 runs, fueling Seattle’s offense.
Jude notes the veteran prefers an East Coast destination, hoping for a team that trains in Florida. Seattle could extend a qualifying offer, but Arozarena is likely to decline and walk away. Will his next stop be a sunny spring training site?