EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Seattle Mariners are hiring Jason Kanzler, the Chicago Cubs' director of player development, as their new manager, the club announced on Tuesday.Kanzler, 36, succeeds Dan Wilson, the longtime catcher who oversaw one of baseball's most disappointing teams this past season. The Mariners made it all the way to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2025 and were a popular pick to advance to their first World Series in 2026 but never got it together, ultimately finishing 76-86 and failing to make the playoffs despite playing in a mediocre division.Kanzler will inherit one of baseball's deepest, most talented teams, one stocked with starting-pitching depth and headlined by two superstars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. He will also be tasked with helping to diagnose what went wrong in a year in which almost all of the Mariners' best players struggled offensively and their pitching somehow abandoned them down the stretch.A former outfielder who was drafted in the 20th round in 2013, Kanzler previously spent five years in the Houston Astros organization, serving as a major league coach in 2022 and 2023. The Cubs hired him as their director of player development at the start of 2024 and watched him help in the development of young players like Pedro Ramirez, Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong.Former Astros manager Joe Espada was reportedly also a finalist for the position, but the Mariners valued Kanzler's combination of intelligence, intensity and creativity and believe he will help players continue to develop in the major leagues, which they see as crucial to a roster featuring several up-and-coming young players.Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement that Kanzler "consistently demonstrated elite leadership skills, high-end content and an ability to connect and partner with players, staff and front office" throughout the interview process."Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve," Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto added. "Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle."Kanzler will be the third manager to serve under Dipoto, who was brought in near the end of the 2015 season. Dipoto entrusted Scott Servais until firing him for the stretch run of 2024. Rather than conduct an outside search, the Mariners replaced Servais with Wilson, who had been working as a minor league field coordinator, deciding against giving him an interim tag.The Mariners won 90 games in Wilson's first full season in 2025 and were eight outs away from the first pennant in franchise history when Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer hit the three-run homer that proved to be the difference.The following year, though, the likes of Raleigh, Rodriguez and Josh Naylor, in the first year of a $92.5 million contract, struggled mightily. Brendan Donovan, acquired in a major offseason trade, was limited to just 39 games. And a rotation headlined by Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller posted the sixth-highest ERA in the majors after the All-Star break.The Mariners ultimately finished five games back of an AL West the Astros won with a .500 record. Wilson was fired on the final day.Now, it'll be up to Kanzler to steer them in the right direction."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 this team's full potential," Kanzler said in a statement.
