The Mariners have moved on from assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes.
On Thursday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners officially announced that they have moved on from assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes.
It's a disappointing end to a short tenure in Seattle for Magallanes, who was hired along with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer ahead of the 2025 season. However, Seitzer has remained in his position thus far. The two previously worked together in Atlanta as well.
Magallanes was part of the staff that took the Mariners to the American League Championship Series in 2025, and if he's going to get blame here, he deserves at least some credit for helping produce the seasons of Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco, who were instrumental figures in Seattle's offensive breakout last season.
But this year, the Mariners have really struggled offensively. They are last in the majors in batting average (.229), 24th in on-base percentage (.310), and 28th in OPS (.687). They are also an increasingly homer-happy lineup, but they rank just tied for 14th in that category with 121.
So Magallanes falls on the axe, but what does it really mean for the Mariners?
Is the team looking for a scapegoat to send a message?
It's certainly possible that the team is looking to send a message here: That poor performance has consequences. No, this wasn't the firing of Dan Wilson, or Seitzer, but it sends a message that the current group is not performing well enough, and if things don't improve, more additional heads could roll.
And with the trade deadline looming, some of those heads could belong to players.
Seattle Mariners assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesAre there too many cooks in the kitchen?
The Mariners already have a hitting coach and a Director of Hitting Strategy (Edgar Martinez). Are there simply too many voices in the ears of the players? Do the Mariners want to simplify things for them?
That's certainly possible, but it should be noted that they promoted Ed Paparella from the minors side, so there will still be three voices. But again, perhaps the message can be simplified.
Up next
The Mariners will play a critical four-game series against the Texas Rangers from Friday-Monday. All four games will be played in Arlington and will feature excellent pitching matchups.
Bryce Miller will take on MacKenzie Gore on Friday night, with the first pitch coming at 5:05 p.m. PT.
Of note
The latest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast, featuring ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney is out now. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
