The Mariners are bringing Tanner Swanson back to Seattle, and the move gives Jason Kanzler’s first staff a very specific edge. New York Post Sports first reported that Seattle is finalizing Swanson as its bench coach, adding a Seattle native who spent the last several years with the Yankees and most recently served as their major-league field coordinator and director of catching.
This is not just another name on a coaching list. Swanson comes in with a reputation built on catching expertise, defensive detail and a track record that fits what the Mariners appear to be building.
For a new manager, that matters. He needs voices around him who can offer a different perspective, push the conversation and bring real expertise to the room.
Swanson checks those boxes.
His background should be especially relevant to Cal Raleigh. Raleigh already handles a massive workload, leads a talented pitching staff and produces enough offense that his bat often gets the spotlight first.
Swanson is not walking into Seattle to change who Raleigh is. He is there to help make sure the most demanding position on the field stays sharp and doesn’t get treated like a side note.
That impact could extend beyond Raleigh, too. Teams love to talk about catching depth until they actually have to rely on it. Swanson’s work with the Yankees made him one of the more recognizable names in catching development, and Seattle now has a chance to use that knowledge at every level of the organization, from the big-league clubhouse to the next catcher in the pipeline.
Part of what makes the hire stand out is Swanson’s own path. He did not play catcher.
He was an infielder at Central Washington before finding his lane in coaching in the Pacific Northwest. That outsider’s view helped shape his approach, and he became linked to the one-knee-down receiving setup that has spread across baseball.
His career has been built on asking different questions instead of accepting the old answers.
The bench coach job, though, goes well beyond one specialty. Swanson will be involved in daily preparation, in-game discussion and the quick decisions that come when everything is happening at once.
His Yankees background gives him experience in a high-pressure setting where every move gets scrutinized. His catching background ties directly into run prevention, an area where the Mariners have long built much of their identity.
It is a strong addition to the staff. The Mariners still need enough offense, and they still need the front office to give Kanzler a group he can really manage. But this is a meaningful hire, and one that should matter.
Kanzler is putting together a staff that looks open to new ideas, and Swanson brings a clear voice in one of the game’s most important areas. Now the challenge is turning that into something visible on the field.
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Tanner Swanson is moving on after becoming one of the more respected behind-the-scenes voices in the Yankees organization, leaving his post as the clubs catching instructor to join the Mariners as bench coach. For a team that has leaned heavily on defensive structure and preparation, his role carried real weight even if it rarely drew much public attention.
Swansons exit leaves a noticeable gap in the Yankees coaching staff, especially in an area where detail work and game planning matter every day. The move also underscores how much of a contenders edge can come from the people working out of the spotlight, and how quickly that edge can shift when one of those pieces is gone. [Read more 🡒]