Mariners Hire Jason Kanzler As Manager After Firing Dan Wilson

The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday that Jason Kanzler will become their new manager. The team fired Dan Wilson after the 2026 season concluded, ending Wilson's two-year tenure.

Kanzler, 36, currently serves as the director of player development for the Chicago Cubs. This role marks his first time managing at any level of baseball. He is now the second-youngest active manager in the sport, behind only Blake Butera of the Washington Nationals, who is 34.

Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations, explained the hiring decision in a statement. Dipoto said the organization sought a manager capable of challenging the staff to improve. He described Kanzler as possessing the mindset, expertise, and intensity needed to establish a championship standard in Seattle.

Kanzler expressed excitement about joining the Mariners in his own statement. He noted that the team possesses significant talent across all facets of the game. He and his coaching staff plan to work toward unlocking the team's full potential.

The hiring follows a sharp decline for the Mariners. The club finished 76-86 in 2026, falling five games behind in the AL West. This result contrasted sharply with the previous year, when Seattle reached Game 7 of the ALCS and nearly made its first World Series appearance. The team had been a popular pick for the World Series before the season started.

Kanzler is not unfamiliar with major league staffs. He coached for the Houston Astros in their farm system before serving as a major league coach in 2022 and an assistant hitting coach in 2023. The Cubs hired him in 2024 to run their player development operation. Former Astros manager Joe Espada was reportedly the other finalist for the Seattle position.

This is the third managerial change for the Mariners since Dipoto took over baseball operations in September 2015. Scott Servais managed the team from 2015 to 2024, followed by Wilson from 2024 to 2026. The most recent comparable hire in baseball history occurred in 2018 when the New York Yankees appointed Aaron Boone, who also had no prior managerial experience. Boone has since led the Yankees to the postseason eight times in nine seasons.