Report: Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln resigns

There's a big-time shakeup in the Seattle Mariners' front office.

Mariners chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln is resigning from the club, and his position will be assumed by minority owner John Stanton, according to Mike Salk, Brock Huard, and Brent Stecker of 710 ESPN Seattle.

Lincoln, 76, joined the Mariners' ownership group in 1992 when Nintendo of America - his employer at the time, and the current majority owner of the franchise - led a group to buy the team. He's been in his current position with the club for over 15 years.

The Mariners may have been saved thanks to Lincoln and the Nintendo ownership group, who helped build Safeco Field and keep the team in Washington while experiencing their greatest on-field success. Lincoln also helped build the 2001 team that won a record-tying 116 regular-season games. Despite their successes, however, the Mariners remain one of two teams to have never appeared in a World Series, and haven't made the playoffs in 15 years - the longest current drought in baseball.

Stanton has been a minority shareholder in the Mariners since 2000. It isn't known if Stanton's stake in the franchise will grow thanks to his promotion, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.