SEATTLE — The Mariners fired general manager Jack Zduriencik on Friday after seven disappointing seasons during which the club failed to end its playoff drought.
Mariners president Kevin Mather announced the decision to fire Zduriencik, with assistant GM Jeff Kingston taking over on an interim basis. Kingston joined the Mariners’ front office in 2009 after spending seven years as the director of baseball operations with the San Diego Padres.
Mather said he would like to find an experienced GM and have one in place soon after the regular season concludes so as to not lose out on the upcoming offseason.
“I think we have the nucleus of a very good baseball team,” Mather said on a conference call. “The nucleus of this team should bode well for candidates.”
Zduriencik joined Seattle before the 2009 season, arriving from the Milwaukee Brewers as one of the top talent evaluators in Major League Baseball. He was tasked with rebuilding a thin farm system while putting a winning product on the field at the big league level.
The Mariners missed too often both in player development through the draft and in free agency under Zduriencik’s watch. They’ll now turn elsewhere in the hopes of improving across the board.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
