Wow. Well, I guess it's better for a team in the Mariners' position to wait to hire who they really want to until they can build the team they really want, and McClendon was pretty responsible in his treatment of young pitchers. He was pretty strange about giving playing time to the right young players, but other than that he might not make a bad steward for a bad team, particularly if GM Jack Zduriencik watches him closely.
Beyond that and the fact that he's managed before, it's hard to imagine what his qualifications are. It's not like the Tigers' vaunted offense lived up to its billing this year.