Mariners
Mariners fire manager Bob Melvin after two seasons

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ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Bob Melvin

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The team also announced today that five coaches also have been released: hitting coach Paul Molitor, bench coach Rene Lachemann, third base coach Dave Myers, first base coach Mike Aldrete and bullpen coach Orlando Gomez.

Only pitching coach Bryan Price remains under contract through the 2005 season.

Melvin, who lasted two seasons, was told of the decision during a morning meeting at Safeco Field.

"I think this is not to lay the blame for the number of losses right at Bob's doorstop," said general manager Bill Bavasi at a news conference today. "That's not our intention. But to go forward we thought a change was in order."

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Melvin left Seatle immediately for Arizona and was unavailable for comment.

"What can you do?" he said Sunday, anticipating what would come today. "Anytime a team struggles the way we have this year, you have to make some changes somewhere."

Bavasi said the team would not comment on its timetable for getting a new manager, only that it would be an "exhaustive search."

"But there will be less interviews than maybe some clubs have done in the past," he said. "We'll target somebody, go after them, and go from there."

When asked what kind of manager he would look for, Bavasi would not be specific.

"We're a club in transition and I don't think we can afford to knock anybody out of the pool right now," he said.

What next? Bob Melvin was fired as manager of the Seattle Mariners today, a day after the team ended the season with its 99th loss. Who should they hire to replace him and why? What kind of manager does the team need to get it back above .500? This is what readers said.

In May, the Mariners exercised the option on Melvin's contract for 2005 despite a 9-16 start. He led the team to a 93-69 record in 2003 after Lou Piniella left for Tampa Bay.

The Mariners left spring training expecting to contend for a playoff spot. Instead, they finished 63-99 and barely avoided their first 100-loss season since 1983. It was the team's worst season since going 64-98 in 1992. The Mariners last had a losing season in 1999, when they were 79-83. They had won at least 91 games every year since, and they tied an AL record by winning 116 games in 2001.

Some of Seattle's biggest problems can't be attributed directly to Melvin. The Mariners ranked last in the American League in runs scored (857), RBIs (658) and home runs (136). Injuries in the bullpen, most notably to right-hander Rafael Soriano, didn't help.

"I've absolutely nothing negative to say about Bob," Bavasi said. "He's a real good man, he worked hard, cared about his players."

Asked whether there was a leadership void, Bavasi responded that he thought there might have been one on the team.

"I think in the clubhouse there may have been," he said. "For me, leadership goes on the field, between the white lines. It is not being a good guy; it's having enough to be a good player and having enough left over to make someone else a good player."

In the offseason, Bavasi said they would be looking for players who were "self starters."

"We have to change the makeup of the club," he said.

As for when he made the decision on Melvin, Bavasi said it wasn' t until five or six days ago that he made up his mind. And now what will he need to replace him?

"We're not looking for a mute, and we're not looking for someone who is just going to raise hell," Bavasi said. "You can't cross anybody off the list."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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