Kevin Mather Resigns as President and CEO of the Mariners After Making Controversial Comments About Players
Photo Via: Getty ImagesYesterday, video of Mariners’ President and CEO Kevin Mather speaking in an online rotary club meeting made the rounds. Today, Mather no longer holds either title, or any title, with the Seattle baseball organization. He resigned amidst an onslaught of backlash from both inside and outside of the Mariners organization.
Mather described in detail the way he approaches player contract negotiations and how he practices the manipulation of service time for young players under team control. He directly disclosed that top outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic refused to sign a major league deal in order to expedite his promotion. He referred to veteran third baseman Kyle Seager as “overpaid” and he stated that he was “tired of paying (Hisashi Iwakuma’s) interpreter.” On a similar note, he critiqued Julio Rodriguez, one of the best prospects in baseball, let alone in the organization, on his English speaking abilities, referring to them as “not tremendous.” On multiple occasions, he even mispronounced the last name of Luis Torrens - one of the team’s catchers.
If Mather had said just one of the numerous comments he made during the 45-minute meeting, he may have been in some hot water. But the barrage of controversial remarks compiled into an irreversibly damaging fireable offense. People all around baseball reacted to the Mather video, including players and family members of the Mariners.
In addition, Cubs veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo stated, “I’m glad it’s out there in the public now and people can see how it is.” On top of that, the Major League Baseball Players Association issued a statement regarding Mather’s words.
In the meantime, Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton will occupy the role of team president. Here is the statement released by the team today.
