Now is the time for Mariners, McClendon to move forward

The Seattle Mariners are gearing up for 2016 and they are going to have to do it without manager Lloyd McClendon.

The team announced McClendon’s release on Friday, Oct. 9. This came less than two weeks after Seattle hired former Anaheim Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto as the team’s new GM, replacing Jack Zduriencik, who was fired in August. McClendon accumulated a 163-161 record during his two-year stint with the Mariners, becoming only the second manager to have a winning record in the franchise’s history. The other? Lou Piniella.

There seemed to be some interest from the Mariners’ front...