MLB Black Monday Begins With Mariners Shakeup
The Mariners kicked off a wave of expected leadership changes across MLB.
MLB's Black Monday has commenced, marking a series of changes across the league as clubs prepare for the upcoming season. Since the playoff field was locked in on Sunday, the remaining 18 teams have begun planning for 2027, particularly in light of ongoing labor disputes.
The Seattle Mariners, after a 76-86 season, have fired manager Dan Wilson and a majority of their coaching staff. Torey Lovullo, who led Arizona to the 2024 World Series, now faces an uncertain future after his contract expired with the Diamondbacks, who missed the NL wild card on the final day. Lovullo has expressed his desire to win a championship with his team.
Other clubs, including the Los Angeles Angels, who just experienced their first 100-loss season in franchise history, are also expected to make significant decisions in the coming weeks and months. The Angels are set to be purchased by Stan Kroenke in a $4 billion deal. Four wild card teams could see changes in their front office due to early playoff exits.
The playoff field's finalization also determined the 2027 draft lottery odds for the other 18 clubs. The Rockies, Angels, and A's share the top odds at 19.1% for the No. 1 pick. The draft lottery is scheduled for December. The White Sox won the lottery for the 2026 MLB draft, selecting UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with a record $10.35 million signing bonus.
The union opposes the management proposal to change the draft structure, which includes making all high school players ineligible, reducing the rounds to 12, and decreasing the signing bonus pool by approximately half.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
