The Seattle Mariners’ managerial search has taken a sharp turn, with a familiar name from the Chicago Cubs front office suddenly surfacing as a finalist.
According to The Athletic, Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler is one of three known finalists for the Mariners’ vacant manager job. He joins former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and Los Angeles Dodgers special assistant Rocco Baldelli in the group Seattle is considering as it moves into the final stage of its search.
Kanzler is the unexpected name in the mix. He is not the Cubs’ bench coach Ryan Flaherty, who has been with Craig Counsell since the 2024 season. Instead, it’s Kanzler, now 36, whose path to this point has been anything but conventional.
Kanzler’s résumé includes work that has already put him around high-level talent. He worked closely with Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who grew into the 2022 World Series MVP by the end of his rookie year. He also built a strong relationship with Alex Bregman in Houston, to the point 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.
His playing career was brief. Kanzler was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round out of the University at Buffalo in 2013.
He spent three minor league seasons, reached High-A Ball in 2015 and then walked away from pro baseball. Even after stepping off the field, he stayed close to the sport, coaching in the Cape Cod League before the Astros hired him as a minor league hitting coordinator before the 2019 season.
From there, his climb kept going. Houston promoted him to the big-league staff in 2022, and he served as the team’s assistant hitting coach in 2023. He later moved on to become the Cubs’ farm director.
Still, when stacked against Espada and Baldelli, Kanzler’s managerial background is clearly lighter. Espada managed the Astros from 2024-26 and spent 13 years as an MLB coach with three organizations before that. Baldelli ran the Twins from 2019-25.
The Mariners’ opening came after a 76-86 season and a missed playoff berth, prompting the club to move on from Dan Wilson for 2027.
If Seattle does choose Kanzler, it would trigger another round of front-office rearranging in Chicago. The Cubs have reportedly brought in Steve Miller from the Tampa Bay Rays to serve as their new international scouting director, and they’ve made additional player development changes in 2026, including shifts in several front office roles.
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