Scott Servais Simply Isn't the Right Choice to Replace Mike Shildt as Padres Manager

After Mike Shildt's surprise retirement, the San Diego Padres are once again on the hunt for a new manager. There are already potential names being thrown around, but there is one in particular that the Padres should stay away from. 

San Diego Union-Tribune Reporter Armando Duenas listed the following candidates: Ruben Niebla, Scott Servais, Benji Gil, Bruce Bochy, Mark Loretta, Ryan Flaherty, and Ron Washington. Out of that group, one in particular stands out as a particular intriguing name: Scott Servais. The Padres' current assistant coach and former manager of the Seattle Mariners, would be an obvious choice to be the next Padres' manager, right? 

He's already in the building and on the staff. He's worked with the players in the organization, and he's a natural leader. He led the Mariners for eight and two-thirds seasons, from 2016 until his dismissal in August of 2024, and was generally quite successful in Seattle. 

Servais led Seattle to five winning seasons and posted a winning record overall in his time there. Among the other four seasons, he was 64-64 at the time he was let go in 2024. One of his losing years was 2020, the COVID-shortened season in which the team went 27-33 in 60 games. Another of his losing years, 2019, came off the heels of an off-season in which the Mariners front office traded away Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, James Paxton, Jean Segura, and Mike Zunino, while letting slugger Nelson Cruz and outfielder Denard Span walk in free agency. Losing seven of the team's best players from the previous season was a death sentence to the 2019 Mariners, who won just 68 games in a rebuild year. Can you blame that on Servais? His only other losing season was in 2017, his second season with the team, during which he won 78 games. 

At first glance, Servais looks like a great choice. Winning record in Seattle, five winning seasons, and he even led the Mariners to the postseason for the first time since 2001, when he guided the team into the Wild Card, and then to the ALDS, in 2022. 

However, his big-picture results, combined with the Mariners' 2025 results, tell another story. 

Servais only made the postseason once, despite having some very good Mariners teams under his control. He had All-Star talent all around the field, with Cano, Cruz, and Segura joined by homegrown All-Stars Zunino, Kyle Seager, and Mitch Haniger on offense in his early years as manager. After a couple of years of rebuilding, his offense soon featured more homegrown stars, such as Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford, in addition to bats like Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, Ty France, and Jesse Winker. 

His pitching staffs were equally full of talent. When he arrived, Seattle already had a rotation with Felix Hernandez, and budding youngsters James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. By the time he was fired, the Mariners had arguably the best rotation in the league, featuring Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. 

And yet, he only made the playoffs once. 

In 2016, the Mariners ranked eighth in team OPS, third in home runs, and sixth in runs scored. They also ranked eighth in team ERA, and allowed the tenth-fewest earned runs in baseball. With a top-ten offense and top-ten rotation, they missed the playoffs. 

In 2018, the Mariners looked on pace to break their postseason drought, but fell apart in July. On July 1, the Mariners had an eight-game lead over the Athletics for the No. 5 seed, but by the end of the season, they trailed Oakland by eight games. 

In 2023, the Mariners missed the postseason despite having an elite rotation. They allowed the third-fewest runs in all of baseball, and scored the 12th most runs. Yet they missed the playoffs by one game.

Again, in 2024, Servais was fired with a 64-64 record. That team had the best ERA in the league and finished 12th in runs scored, but again, missed the playoffs by a game. 

The point is, while the overall record looks nice, and his proximity to San Diego makes him an easy candidate, the Padres should stay away from Servais. He consistently underperformed with talented rosters. He probably should have made the postseason at least three times, and there's an argument he should have gotten them there as many as five times. 

Servais could probably pilot the Padres to another 90-win season next year, which would be a lock for yet another Wild Card. But if San Diego is serious about winning the division and winning a World Series, hiring a manager with a history of underperforming will not be the smart move. 

Just look at the 2025 Mariners. In their first season without Servais, the team (with essentially the same roster as 2024), won the AL West for the first time since 2001, and is now playing in the ALCS. It seems pretty clear that Servais wasn't getting the most out of his players.

If San Diego does not want to be held back, they should not hire Scott Servais to be their next manager.