The Mariners’ managerial search may be coming to an end. Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times report that former Astros skipper Joe Espada and Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler are the finalists. These two will have in-person interviews Tuesday and Wednesday. The report mentions the possibility of the Mariners contacting the Rays or Brewers coaches once the World Series is over, but the Mariners plan to name a new manager by the end of the week.
Both Espada and Kanzler have been linked to the job offer in previous reports, but there were plenty of others in the mix and now it appears it’s going to be these two. The Times says there were 30 to 40 names on the initial search list and the club has held conversations with many candidates. Rocco Baldelli was identified as one of them but recently withdrew his name. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that this was likely due to geography, since Baldelli and his family live in Florida.
Kramer also reports that White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven and Rays senior advisor Brandon Hyde were also in the mix but are no longer in the running. His report, released yesterday, said Espada and Kanzler would have in-person meetings, but it was unclear whether those two were considered finalists. Today’s Times report contains many of the same details, but goes a step further by introducing Espada and Kanzler as finalists.
There would be key differences between the two finalists. Espada is 51 and has previous management experience, while Kanzler would be a first-time skipper and is 15 years younger.
Espada spent the last three seasons managing the division rival Houston Astros. The club’s results were generally good but not great during this period. They won the American League West in 2024 with 88 wins but were eliminated by the Tigers in the Wild Card round. They fell to 87 wins last year and missed the playoffs. This year, they managed to win the division again with just 81 wins before another quick playoff elimination.
A manager can only work with the roster he’s given, so it’s always difficult to give credit or blame to a skipper for a team’s overall results. The Astros had some good players during Espada’s run, but clearly weren’t as talented as previous seasons. Regardless, the Astros decided not to bring him back for the 2027 season, so he is a free agent.
Kanzler would be a less orthodox choice for Seattle. As mentioned, he is relatively young and has never been a manager before. It’s not totally abnormal, but these rookies usually have minor league management experience or significant time coaching in a big league. Kanzler’s work in the professional ranks began with a 2019 job with the Astros as a minor league hitting coordinator. He had ascended to the big leagues in 2022 with the nebulous title of major league coach. He earned the title of assistant hitting coach for 2023. In 2024, he joined the Cubs as director of player development.
The Mariners will have to decide which of these two options is best for the club as they look to bounce back from a nightmare season. According to Kramer, both candidates will meet with coaches, front office officials and people at the ownership level at T-Mobile Park, with some of them traveling to Seattle simply to participate in the process.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
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