Dan Wilson, Mariners provide cautionary tale for Yadier Molina and the Cardinals

On Sunday, the Seattle Mariners had manager Dan Wilson announce his termination as manager of the club. Wilson, a former player and now manager for the Mariners, was beloved during his time as a player. He spent 12 of his 14 years in the majors there. Now, he's become a punching bag for fans to blame for the club's lackluster 2026 season. Let this be a cautionary tale for the St. Louis Cardinals with Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

Dan Wilson was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. He was later traded to the Seattle Mariners in November 1993, and Wilson would spend the next 12 years in Seattle. Wilson became Randy Johnson's primary battery mate with the Mariners, and he excelled when hitting against left-handed pitching during his career.

Dan Wilson was known as a defense-first catcher who was excellent at managing a staff. He worked with pitchers like Johnson and Jamie Moyer. The one-time All-Star was beloved in Seattle.

When the Mariners hired Wilson during the 2024 season, he had no previous managerial experience. He replaced Scott Servais at the time. Wilson's Mariners would go 21-13 down the stretch of the 2024 season, finish the campaign with an 85-77 record.

2025 was an extremely successful year for Dan Wilson and the Seattle Mariners. The club would finish the regular season with a 90-72 record and lose in seven games to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS.

Unfortunately for both Dan Wilson and the Mariners, the club finished the 2026 season with a 76-86 record. According to a press release from the club, Wilson's departure was concluded after conversations last week. Wilson then emotionally read a letter to the press following Sunday's game stating this parting of ways between him and the organization.

Dan Wilson's repudiated departure from the Seattle Mariners shows what could happen with Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals.

There are few Cardinals who are remembered as fondly and lovingly by fans as Yadier Molina. Yadi was drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, and he spent every year of his 19 professional seasons with the Cardinals. He was most recently inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

Molina's fire, dedication to his craft, and commitment to the organization all made him a fan-favorite player. He gave his all to St. Louis, and he ended up having a very successful career that will almost assuredly make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Yadi rode off into the sunset following a historic 2022 season with the Cardinals, and fans' memories of him remain golden.

However, there's a chance that Molina could come back to manage the Cardinals in the near future. The former backstop certainly has those aspirations. While this may seem like a good idea, I'm not sure fans realize the potential havoc this may wreak on his reputation amongst the Cardinal faithful.

This could also be said of Albert Pujols, who is forging his own path to becoming a manager in Major League Baseball.

Managers are hired to be fired. Very few have successful careers from start to finish, and the vast majority end up being fired rather than retiring out of their own volition. If a manager does happen to retire after serving many years, he is almost guaranteed to be berated, hated, and scorned by several fans.

Are Cardinals fans ready to take this approach with perhaps one of the greatest Cardinals in franchise history?

Dan Wilson's story as a beloved player-turned-manager should be a cautionary tale. While it may feel like a good idea to appoint Yadier Molina or Albert Pujols as managers in St. Louis, it could end up poorly for the players, the fans, and the organization writ large.

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