The Seattle Mariners are currently one of three teams seeking a new manager after the 2026 season. After missing the playoffs and finishing 76-86, the Mariners decided not to bring back Dan Wilson for 2027. Now, as the team heads into the final stage of its managerial search, a surprising candidate has emerged from the Chicago Cubs.
No, it’s not bench coach Ryan Flaherty, who has been Craig Counsell’s bench coach since the 2024 season; it’s the Cubs’ director of player development, Jason Kanzler.
According to The Athletic, Kanzler is one of three known finalists for the Mariners vacant manager job.
Via The Athletic.
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In their ongoing search for a new manager, the Seattle Mariners have identified a group of candidates that includes an outside-the-box option in Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler, plus former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and Los Angeles Dodgers special assistant Rocco Baldelli, according to league sources briefed on the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation candidly.
Kanzler worked closely with Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who blossomed into the 2022 World Series MVP at the end of his rookie year. Kanzler also developed a good relationship with Alex Bregman in Houston, to a degree that he helped lead the Cubs’ presentation to the free agent before the All-Star third baseman signed a five-year, $175 million contract last winter.
Kanzler, who is now 36, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round out of the University at Buffalo in 2013. The outfielder played three minor league seasons, reaching High-A Ball in 2015 before stepping away from pro baseball. Kanzler did remain close to the game, becoming a coach in the Cape Cod League and he was eventually hired by the Houston Astros prior to the 2019 season as a minor-league hitting coordinator.
It’s not like Kanzler lacks big-league coaching experience; the Astros promoted him to Houston’s MLB staff in 2022, and in 2023 he served as the team’s assistant hitting coach. Since then, Kanzler has served as the Cubs’ farm director, but compared with Joe Espada and Rocco Baldelli, his experience pales in comparison.
Espada was the Astros’ manager from 2024-26 and previously spent 13 years as an MLB coach with three organizations. Meanwhile, Baldelli managed the Twins from 2019-25.
If the Mariners do pick Kanzler as their new manager, then the Cubs will have to do more shuffling in their front office. The team has reportedly poached Steve Miller from the Tampa Bay Rays to become the new international scouting director. The Cubs have also made a few more changes to player development in 2026, shifting some roles within the front office.
