Mariners VP/Scouting Tom Allison is among the scouts and front-office staff members whose contracts will "not be renewed for 2021," according to a source cited by Ryan Divish of the SEATTLE TIMES. Allison has been with the Mariners since '12 and was promoted to "oversee all aspects of the organization’s scouting five years ago." By the end of the day Thursday and into Friday, text messages "started to accumulate, with three scouts from opposing teams using the word 'bloodbath' to describe the layoffs." Sources said that the list of names of those not coming back "continued to grow." Divish reported of the 11 other non-renewals, there were a "few notable names," including Dir of Amateur Scouting Tom McNamara. Mariner Chair John Stanton said that some of the cuts were "directly due to the lost revenues of the 2020 season." He also "mentioned the expected contraction of 40-plus minor league teams, as well expected reduction of future amateur drafts to around 20-25 rounds, as another reason for the reduction in scouting staff and likely the non-renewals in player development." Divish noted the Mariners have "decided to follow the path set by the Astros, A's and the Orioles in restructuring and streamlining their scouting department, combining the amateur and pro side" (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/1). Mariners Exec VP & GM Jerry Dipoto said, "This is an ongoing thing. We started making organizational changes some months back" (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/2).
