Manager Scott Servais, Mariners Agree to Contract Extension

The Seattle Mariners and manager Scott Servais have reached an agreement on a multiyear extension.

The team announced the move Friday as the second half of the MLB season gets underway. General manager Jerry Dipoto issued a statement:

Servais has become the franchise's fourth-winningest manager since taking over ahead of the 2016 season. He has gone 222-199 (.527) in two-plus seasons on the job, and while he hasn't yet been able to snap the organization's long playoff drought, he has had his team in contention.

The Mariners battled for a playoff spot until the eve of the regular-season finale in 2016. They finished in third place in the American League West last year with a record of 78-84.

This year, though, the 51-year-old skipper has his club in position to make the postseason for the first time since 2001.

Seattle enters the second half at 58-39. While they trail the Houston Astros by five games in the AL West, the Mariners hold a three-game lead in the race for the second wild-card spot. Servais deserves some credit for the success.

The Mariners have continued to pile up wins even without key players. All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games in May, while pitchers Felix Hernandez (the 2010 AL Cy Young winner) and James Paxton (who threw a no-hitter in May) are both on the disabled list.

Seattle still has to battle for a playoff spot, but Servais can now do so without feeling as though he's managing for his job down the stretch.