Breaking News: Kanzler will be the new manager

[Bil522]

Well, this is something different. I wonder who the players were

Mariners took unusual step of involving players in managerial search: Sources

Ken Rosenthal
By Ken Rosenthal
Nov. 9, 2026 Updated 9:22 am PST


In baseball as in other businesses, employees rarely have a say in the selection of their bosses. But the Seattle Mariners’ search for a new manager was far from typical.

A select group of Mariners players, veterans who are considered clubhouse leaders, participated in the final managerial interviews, according to sources briefed on the process who were granted anonymity for their candor. Members of the team’s coaching staff also were involved, as previously reported by MLB.com.

Players normally have no input in the selection of a manager. Their involvement in Seattle’s search ran counter to how president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said the process would work at the start of the offseason.

Dipoto said then of the possibility of players participating: “That remains to be seen. I think there’s also a danger zone there, but they’ll be in tune as to what we’re doing, and they will give us the feedback that is required to make sure that this is a good fit. But we’re not going to ask them to be a part of an interview process.

The Mariners, at the conclusion of a wide-ranging search, wound up choosing Jason Kanzler, the former Chicago Cubs farm director who has never managed at any level, over Joe Espada, who managed the Houston Astros for three seasons before his dismissal in mid-October.

Dipoto declined comment for this story.

The “danger zone” referenced by Dipoto regards the empowerment of players — and in this case, coaches — at the possible expense of the manager. New managers generally introduce themselves to players and coaches on their own terms.

The Mariners, after parting ways with Dan Wilson at the end of the season, also dismissed four of their coaches — bench coach Manny Acta, infield coach Perry Hill, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and first-base coach Eric Young Jr. But they retained a number of others, including pitching coach Pete Woodworth and director of pitching strategy Trent Blank.

Prior to hiring Kanzler, the Mariners brought back CJ Gillman, their minor-league coordinator from 2022 to ‘25, as hitting coach. They have since hired Yankees catching instructor Tanner Swanson to be their bench coach.

[XpertDBA]

This is like letting the students at Faber College (Animal House) choose their professor and they chose Donald Sutherland.