Mariners' Dan Wilson should be on notice after Mets' firing of Carlos Mendoza

The wolves aren't yet at Dan Wilson's door, but the Seattle Mariners skipper is waking up on Friday to another reminder that they're out there and hungry for managers. Like Alex Cora and Rob Thomson before him, Carlos Mendoza is out of a job with the New York Mets.

Frankly, it's a wonder that Mendoza lasted as long as he did after Cora and Thomson got sacked in April. It's almost impressive, as at no point in May or June did the Mets ever appear to be trending up.

And so, all Steve Cohen's millions ( $350 million to be exact, and that's not even counting luxury tax penalties) have bought are a 34-47 record and a last-place standing in the NL East. Head-rolling stuff for sure, and the obligatory next question in New York is when it'll David Stearns' turn.

Meanwhile in Seattle, the energy around Wilson and the Mariners isn't that ominous. At least they're in first place in the AL West, which is where they're meant to be after their tremendous 2025 season and active winter set the stage for a World Series run.

Of course, any attempt to rationalize where the Mariners are midway through 2026 requires an Olympic pool full of asterisks. They're only 41-41, so their first-place standing is mostly owed to how terrible the AL West is this year. And as much as injuries have indeed taken a toll, those alone don't explain why so many players aren't living up to their billing.

Mariners should be wondering if Dan Wilson's enduring calmness is a good thing

At this point, the Mariners' lack of forward progress isn't a new story. It was evident from the earliest days of the season, which had Wilson getting named in manager hot seat articles even then. As such, it would be malpractice not to ask how hot his seat is now.

If we're framing this discussion in terms of what is likely to happen, then it's hard to imagine Wilson getting shown the door before the season is over. It hasn't even been two years since he took over for Scott Servais in August of 2024, and the .547 winning percentage he's racked up since then is the highest in club history. Maybe George Steinbrenner would have axed him by now, but that's not how the Mariners roll. John Stanton is not that hands-on and Jerry Dipoto is, if anything, an infamously patient executive.

Even coming into this season, though, it was clear that Wilson wasn't exactly a master tactician. He's more of a vibes guy, a classic players' manager who trusts his guys to show up and play. And when the Mariners moved on from Servais, a guy like that was exactly what was needed.

But now? Maybe not as much. Wilson is already complicit in one major communication snafu, and he hasn't oozed urgency even as his club's potential has remained frustratingly out of reach. He doesn't get heated after losses. He just falls back on canned quotes like "Tough one today" and "That's baseball."

He's not wrong when he says stuff like that. But if consistent wins continue to elude the Mariners, the brass simply must move closer to a conclusion that Wilson is not doing his job as well as someone else might be able to.

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