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SEATTLE - After missing the playoffs and parting ways with manager Dan Wilson, the Seattle Mariners have announced who will lead the team come Opening Day in 2027.
According to reports, Jason Kanzler has been hired as the team's new manager and will become the 22nd manager in the club's history.
Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced the news on Tuesday morning.
What we know:
Kanzler, 36, was born in Penfield, New York, and played baseball at the University of Buffalo. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
He began his coaching career in 2019 with Seattle's AL West rival, the Houston Astros, even winning a World Series with the organization in 2022. He has spent the last two seasons as the Chicago Cubs' director of player development.
The Mariners gig marks his first time stepping into a managerial role.
MLB.com notes that Kanzler becomes the second-youngest manager in the league after Blake Butera, the 34-year-old manager of the Washington Nationals.
What they're saying:
"Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle," Dipoto said.
General Manager Justin Hollander called Kanzler "the right person to lead our organization back to the Postseason."
"Throughout the process, Jason consistently demonstrated elite leadership skills, high-end content and an ability to connect and partner with players, staff and front office," Hollander added.
Kanzler said he looks forward to "hitting the ground running" in the new role and hopes to "unlock the team's full potential."
The backstory:
The 2026 Mariners team entered the season with high expectations of being back in a similar position this year, only to have that vision careen wildly off-course.
For the first time since 2020, the Mariners finished a season with a losing record at 76-86.
Injuries, poor performance, and numerous other errors helped contribute to a season that fell well short of its goal. Former manager Dan Wilson himself was one of many areas deserving of scrutiny as well.
Wilson's lineup construction, substitutions and pitching change decisions, and a seeming lack of accountability in the clubhouse all seemed to contribute to the Mariners' failing.
Plays such as Randy Arozarena throttling down chasing a foul ball in Tampa, Julio Rodríguez throwing a live ball into the stands in Milwaukee thinking there were three outs when there were only two, and other seeming lapses of focus or effort led to little visible discipline from the manager's office. Wilson also was poor at explaining team decisions – both to players and reporters.
Kanzler now steps into the role as the team's third manager in the last four seasons, and will look to resemble the squad that came eight outs away from their first World Series berth in 2025.
What we don't know:
Details surrounding Kanzler's contract were not released.
What's next:
The Mariners are expected to hold an introductory press conference for Kanzler on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
The livestream can be found here.
The Source: Information for this story came from Major League Baseball and previous original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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