Lloyd McClendon not expected to return as Mariners’ manager

The Seattle Mariners are not expected to bring Lloyd McClendon back as manager, according to a source.

McClendon went 163-161 in Seattle and past year led the team to its first winning record since 2009, but the Mariners haven’t lived up to expectations since their monster deal for Robinson Cano before last season.

McClendon inherited a team that went 71-91 in 2013 and turned around and posted a 87-75 record the next year. However, newly appointed general manager Jerry Dipoto has reportedly been given full autonomy by Mariners owners to determine whether or not to keep McClendon. That, perhaps even more than the Mariners’ 76-86 record in 2015, may have put McClendon behind the eight ball with his new boss.

General manager Jerry Dipoto has apparently made the decision to let Lloyd McClendon go. After another season of missing the Major League Baseball Playoffs, though, the team might need new leadership. It wasn’t unexpected considering Dipoto’s tenure with the Angels where he had a series of issues with manager Mike Scioscia. Dipoto took the time to get to know McClendon over the past week, but it never seemed likely McClendon would be retained. Once Dipoto was hired, many suspected McClendon might be out of a job.

Tim Bogar, who has ties to Dipoto, is expected to be a prime candidate, as was first reported on CBSSports.com a week ago.

Bogar, 48, is a former big-league infielder, who served as interim manager of the Texas Rangers for the final 22 games in 2014. After that, Bogar was hired by the Angels as a special assistant to Dipoto.

Chris Gwynn resigned Thursday as the director of player development, and the Mariners previously confirmed three other top front-office officials would not return: Ted Simmons, Pete Vuckovich and Joe McIlvaine.