Report: Mariners confirm Zduriencik will return in 2014

By Brady Henderson

Jack Zduriencik will indeed be back as the Mariners’ general manager in 2014, according to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times.

Zduriencik’s future has been unclear due to the team’s refusal to publicly confirm reports that he received a contract extension last offseason, but team president Chuck Armstrong confirmed to Baker on Tuesday that the Mariners aren’t making a change at general manager – at least not for another year; Armstrong declined to specify how long Zduriencik is under contract.

Zduriencik, speaking with Baker, declined to say when he was informed that he would be retained.

“You always operate on the basis that you’re going to keep doing the job,” Zduriencik told Baker. “That’s what I’ve been doing. It is been business as usual.”

The Mariners are 68-89 entering Tuesday’s game, approaching what would be their third 90-loss season in the five years since Zduriencik took over. Zduriencik received a contract extension in 2011 that ran through this season.

Manager Eric Wedge’s contract was to expire at the end of this season, and Zduriencik told Baker that he’ll decide on the manager’s future once the season is over.