After a disappointing 2026 season, the Seattle Mariners have named Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler as their new manager, the team announced Tuesday. The Mariners fired manager Dan Wilson after the season.
"Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve," president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. "Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle."
At 36, Kanzler will be the second-youngest manager in Major League Baseball, older only than Washington Nationals skipper Blake Butera, 34. This will be Kanzler's first managerial job at any level, a rare but not unprecedented move. The New York Yankees hired Aaron Boone straight from the broadcasting booth in 2018 with no managerial or coaching experience; Boone has led the Yankees to the postseason eight times in nine seasons.
"I am thrilled to join the Mariners organization and I'm looking 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 this team's full potential."
Kanzler previously served as a major-league coach with the Houston Astros in 2022 and as their assistant hitting coach in 2023, after coaching in their farm system. The Cubs hired him to oversee player development in 2024. Former Astros manager Joe Espada was reportedly the other finalist for the Mariners job.
The Mariners went 76-86 this past season and finished five games back in the AL West. A year earlier, they reached Game 7 of the ALCS and were five outs away from their first World Series appearance. Seattle entered 2026 as a trendy World Series pick but fell flat as core hitters underperformed. Kanzler will be the team's third manager since Dipoto was hired to run baseball operations in September 2015, following Scott Servais (2015-24) and Wilson (2024-26).
