- May 21, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Photo: MyName ( Cacophony ) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Team logos via ESPN.
The Seattle Mariners have named Jason Kanzler as their new manager, replacing Dan Wilson after two-plus seasons.
Kanzler, 36, will become the second-youngest manager in MLB, trailing only Washington's Blake Butera by two years. This marks his first managerial role after serving as the Cubs' director of player development since 2024. He previously worked in the Astros organization as a minor league hitting coach from 2019-2021 and on the major league staff in 2022-2023.
"Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve," said president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, who has now hired three consecutive first-time managers in Seattle.
Kanzler emerged from an initial pool of 30-40 candidates, with former Astros manager Joe Espada as the other finalist. Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister, Padres special assistant A.J. Ellis, and White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven were also interviewed.
The Mariners won 90 games and the AL West in 2025, reaching Game 7 of the ALCS. But they collapsed to 10 games below .500 in 2026 as Houston took the division at 81-81.
Mickey's Angle: Seattle's betting on youth and development pedigree over experience—if Kanzler can unlock this roster's talent, the weak AL West makes a quick turnaround very doable.
Source: MLB Trade Rumors (also reported by ESPN) - written by Mickey the Mouth from the original report.