Eric Wedge Will Not Return As Mariners Manager Next Season

Eric Wedge has reportedly informed the Seattle Mariners he will not return to the team next season.

Eric Wedge will stay in Seattle for the final games of this MLB season, then he will leave the team after a less than fruitful three-year tenure. In 2011 the Mariners finished the season with a 67-95 record, followed in 2012 with a 75-87 record.

This season the Mariners have a 70-89 record with three games to go, and would sit in last place in the AL West if not for the woeful Houston Astros.

In a statement, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said, “I accept Eric’s decision not to return and thank him for his hard work here the past three years. I want to wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

Before Eric Wedge announced his decision to leave the Mariners, there were rumors he could end up as the fall man for another losing season. At the start of 2013 Seattle were seen as possible contenders, although the AL West has become one of the hardest divisions in baseball to compete within.

Before managing the Seattle Mariners, Eric Wedge spent 2002 to 2009 as the manager of the Cleveland Indians. His best season in Cleveland came in 2007, when he led the club to a 96-66 record The Indians lost to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS that year, and the Red Sox went on to win the World Series. He was fired in 2009 after the Indians finished with a miserable 65-97 record.

What’s really odd about the news is Wedge’s contract was set to expire after this season, but the decision to leave was his decision. That indicates he was likely offered an extension and turned it down. All we can from hear on out is speculate.

Did you think Eric Wedge would return as the Mariners manager next season?

[image via Wikimedia Commons]