McKay had been with the Mariners for a decade, and he leaves a hole in the organization, but one that is not likely to be felt by the major league team in 2026.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Andy McKay, the senior director of player personnel for the Seattle Mariners, is leaving the organization for an on-field coaching role with the Cleveland Guardians.
McKay has been lauded for his ability in helping the Mariners with their drafts and the development of their young players.
While he didn't actively coach on the field at the big-league level, he's been a big part of the team's success, which includes five consecutive winning seasons.
So how does this affect the Mariners in 2026? How about beyond?
My initial thought
We took a stab at it on the most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast, which was released on Wednesday:
I believe that the Mariners will be generally fine next year at the major league level without Andy McKay because Andy McKay has already laid the groundwork for the 2026 Mariners.
Where you will see the Mariners lose out, potentially, is in 2027 and beyond, based on what I know about Andy McKay, based on what I've heard.
So, there is a real loss here for the Mariners, but it's not going to be in the 2026 on-field product, I don't believe.
It's the future Mariners and how they go about continuing to build the organization from the ground up. Andy McKay has been clearly a seminal figure in helping them kind of replenish the farm system, draft, develop well, so that the guys who come up to the big leagues are- are ready to go and are good players and good people.
Andy McKay Leaving + Austin Nola Coming + The A-Rod Talk + @TheJagePage Joins Us
Refuse to Lose - a Seattle Mariners Podcast · Episode
The Mariners recent draft history
The Mariners have drafted good players over the last several years: Cal Raleigh, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Ben Williamson, and Cole Young, they've all been solid contributors to the Mariners, but they are also solid people.
And that was apparently a big thing that McKay did: identify and validate that these picks are good people that you want in your organization. If the Mariners are unable to replace that, then the drafts will suffer, and that eventually filters up to the big leagues.
For now, I think the Mariners are OK in terms of their major-league team, but if they want the future to look as bright as it does right now, they need to find the next Andy McKay.
Need to know
Former Mariners catcher Austin Nola is back in the fold as well, and he'll serve as the team's bullpen coach moving forward. Tony Arnerich had that role, and it's unclear what his next step is.
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