11:03 a.m. CT: The Mariners officially announced Kanzler as their new manager.
“Our goal in this process was to find a manager who could challenge us all to improve.“, Dipoto said in a statement. “Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle..”
10:41 a.m. CT: The Mariners have chosen Jason Kanzler as their next skipper, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. Kanzler will replace Dan Wilson.
This will be the first management position for Kanzler. He served as a minor league hitting coach in the Astros system from 2019 to 2021. He served on the major league staff in 2022 and 2023. Kanzler has served as the Cubs’ director of player development since 2024.
As Kramer notes, Kanzler, 36, will be the second-youngest coach in the league. Blake Butera of the Nationals is the youngest at 34 years old.
“I am excited to join the Mariners organization and look forward to hitting the ground running.“, Kanzler said in a statement. “This team has an immense amount of talent in all facets of the game, and my coaching staff and I are excited to access and unlock the full potential of this team..”
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is now 3 for 3 in hiring new managers during his 11-year tenure in Seattle. Kanzler is certainly a little different from the previous two rookies. Scott Servais had an 11-year playing career and spent several years in the front office before taking over the Mariners. Wilson was a franchise icon as a player and had been with the team for years as a broadcaster and studio analyst.
Seattle had 30 to 40 names on its initial list for the vacancy, according to Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. That group was narrowed down to Kanzler and former Astros manager Joe Espada last week, Kramer relays. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic notes that Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister, Padres special assistant AJ Ellis and White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven also had interviews but did not make the final selection.
The Mariners won 90 games in 2025 to win the AL West title. They took the Blue Jays to seven games in the ALCS, but narrowly failed to reach the World Series. The club entered 2026 with plenty of momentum and most of the division winners intact.
Last season was a disaster. Seattle finished 10 games below .500 and failed to compete in a weak AL West. The Astros won the division 81-81. The Mariners made the decision to move on from Wilson after more than two seasons. Kanzler will be tasked with getting the team back on track. This should once again be a winnable division.
Gn sports
