Mariners won't sympathize with division rival panicking after firing assistant coach

The Seattle Mariners are riding high — and in more ways than one. They just notched another statement series win, taking two of three from the Texas Rangers.

While the Mariners are hot and sitting at the top of the AL West, Texas finds itself in unfamiliar territory: fourth place, under .500, and staring into the mirror at a version of their rivals from years past.

Despite boasting the sixth-best team ERA in baseball at 3.49, the Rangers are sputtering and looking like the 2024 Mariners, with solid pitching yet limited contributions in the batter's box. 

Texas has plummeted near the bottom of every major offensive category:

• 25th in wRC+ (85)
• 25th in slugging (.359)
• 26th in batting average (.228)
• 28th in OBP (.285)
• 29th in total runs (113)
• 29th in walk rate (6.7%)

Simply put, the offense that once made this team so dangerous has vanished. The front office has responded by firing offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, marking the first major shakeup in what could turn into a full-blown overhaul. It’s a move that mirrors what the Mariners did in 2024, when they axed bench coach/offensive coordinator Brant Brown in May, then followed it up with the firings of hitting coach Jarret DeHart and longtime manager Scott Servais in August.

Rangers pull from Mariners tree, while the M's make a push for the AL West title

In a surprising twist, the Texas Rangers are doubling down on the Mariners blueprint — this time by bringing in a familiar Seattle face to steer their offense. Bret Boone, a former All-Star second baseman and a key figure in the Mariners’ historic 116-win 2001 season, has been named the Rangers' new hitting coach.

Originally a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle in 1990, Boone spent his early years alongside future franchise staples before being dealt to the Reds in the trade that brought Dan Wilson to town. Fittingly, Boone returned to Seattle just in time to help anchor that legendary 2001 lineup, joining forces with Wilson, Edgar Martínez, and a rookie sensation you may have heard of named Ichiro Suzuki.

Now, the Rangers seem intent on borrowing a few pages from that same playbook — opting to pull talent and philosophy from the very same tree that built one of baseball’s most iconic teams.

But will Texas find the same spark? It’s hard to see it.

Adolis García, once the heart of the order, looks like a shell of his former self. His OPS has plummeted, and his current slash line (.217/.269/.375) is a far cry from the damage he did just two seasons ago. Leody Taveras is now on outright waivers. Marcus Semien's production is slipping. Corey Seager? Still elite, but he now has fewer chances to impact games surrounded by a thin cast.

Yes, there’s youth in the mix — Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter among them — but the Rangers' core that powered their 2023 title run might be aging out. And no coaching shuffle can reverse that timeline.

For Seattle, last summer's additions of Wilson and Martínez to the staff have lit a fire under the team. The Mariners surged in the final months of 2024, carried that momentum into the offseason, and are now one of the hottest teams in baseball entering May.

Meanwhile, the Mariners are in full attack mode. They’ve not only found an identity — they’ve sharpened it into a weapon. While Texas reorganizes, Houston clings to its dynasty with duct tape, and the Angels remain in the cellar, Seattle sees a window cracking open. Even the upstart A’s, though trending upward, are more focused on rebuilding an entire fanbase than threatening for a title.

For the first time in over two decades, the AL West is there for the taking. And the Mariners need to capitalize on it.