SEATTLE -- Jason Kanzler didn’t waste time getting to the heart of what the Mariners want him to fix.
Accountability and culture were the themes that hung over his introduction as Seattle’s new manager last week, and Kanzler made clear he sees both as tied to one thing: clarity. For him, accountability isn’t about noise or public shaming. It starts with making sure everyone knows exactly what’s expected.
“It requires clarity,” he said. “People need to understand what they’re accountable for before you can hold them to accountability.
So it starts with clarity, simplicity. Even when the things we’re talking about might be complex, they need to be understood.
It makes the hard conversations much, much easier.
“And in that respect, holding people accountable and the idea of accountability, period, it somewhat takes care of itself. I’m not saying it’s hands-off, but it starts with clarity and understanding what we’re trying to do.”
That answer fit the mold of what Seattle was looking for during its lengthy interview process. Jerry Dipoto said accountability was one of the main traits the club wanted in a candidate, and communication was right there with it.
“The way he communicates, as you see here today, or you will in the time moving forward, it's very clear,” Dipoto said on Wednesday, sitting alongside Kanzler at the podium. “You won't be confused as to what the directive is when you leave the station, and I think our players will pick up on that.”
The Mariners drew plenty of criticism in 2026 for what many saw as a lack of accountability when self-inflicted mistakes piled up without visible consequences. That, according to multiple sources inside the clubhouse, helped create an atmosphere where errors kept snowballing and losses followed.
Kanzler’s answer to that was direct: standards will be enforced, but not always in the same way or in front of the same audience.
“Praise publicly, punish privately,” Kanzler said. “There are times where we’re going to have to rip [it] with the whole team, and that's fine.
You’ve just got to pick your spots. I’ve been in a Major League dugout.
I’ve been around Major League players. I’ve been around Major League clubhouses.
I understand when that's appropriate and when it's not.”
He also addressed how he plans to push players, a fair question for someone stepping into his first managerial job at any level and who never played in the Majors.
“I ask a lot of questions,” Kanzler said. “It doesn't necessarily land well with anyone when they're told like, 'You need to do this, you need to think this.' So the way I challenge players and people is I ask questions, I listen a lot, I hear them, I propose alternative ways of thinking or of looking at a problem.
“With players in this game, they are going to be faced with an unending slew of problems -- small ones, big ones. They're going to have to make adjustments.
They're going to have to get better at certain parts of their game. They're going to have to maintain other parts of their game.
They're going to have to deal with so many things.
“And I think just the ability to help them come to the more correct behavioral outcomes and decisions to make themselves better and to work themselves through those situations, the better.”
Dipoto had already put the word “re-set” on the table when he spoke after Dan Wilson’s dismissal, saying the Mariners’ “culture needs a re-set.” Kanzler offered his own definition of what that kind of culture should look like.
“Culture is, in my opinion, it’s all the things that you don’t allow,” Kanzler said. “It’s all the things that don’t happen.
It’s the things that you hold the line against. It’s doing, obviously, the big things right.
It’s doing all of the little things right all of the time. But most importantly, it is not doing the wrong things as much as humanly possible.
What we allow is what we stand for, and so that’s what culture means to me.”
In Other News...
Jerry Dipoto Faces Pressure As Mariners Offseason Plan Comes Into Focus
Jerry Dipotos offseason checklist is already coming into focus after Seattle hired Jason Kanzler as its new manager, and the priorities sound familiar in some ways while still leaving plenty of work to do. The Mariners want to shore up the bullpen, find another bat or two, and add a veteran presence in the infield, all while trying to build a roster that can better support the shape of the club heading into next season.
The interesting wrinkle is how Dipoto is approaching the market. He said this winters reliever class looks more attractive than the crop of available position players, but Seattle still appears inclined to pursue trades rather than lean too heavily on free agency. That puts the front office in the familiar spot of weighing cost, fit and timing, with bullpen targets and trade possibilities now sitting near the center of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Logan Gilbert Trade Talk Puts Mariners Roster Priorities In Focus
The possibility of Logan Gilbert becoming a trade chip has nudged the Mariners into a familiar winter debate: how aggressively should they protect a high-end arm if a long-term extension does not come together before next season? MLB Network insider Jon Morosi reported that players with one year of club control remaining are not likely to be moved for prospects this month, but the broader market has started to take shape ahead of the MLB general manager meetings, where talks are expected to move faster than usual.
For Seattle, the issue is bigger than one pitcher. Gilberts name has sharpened the focus on roster priorities, especially if the club decides it needs to turn a controllable starter into a different kind of help. With the meetings approaching, the Mariners are in the kind of position that forces front offices to weigh present value against future flexibility, and this one could get interesting quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Prospect Faces New Doubt After Tough AFL Showcase
Adam Smiths Arizona Fall League run has been a useful measuring stick for the Mariners right-handed pitching prospect, but the latest stage did not help his case. Working the eighth inning in the AFL All-Star Game, Smith was part of a rough night for the American League as the National League pulled away, and his overall line in the showcase has only added to the mixed read on where he stands in the organization.
Smith has now made seven AFL appearances, and the numbers have been uneven enough to keep the conversation open around his role in Seattles future. After spending time at High-A and Double-A, he remains the kind of arm the Mariners can dream on, but the path forward is not simple with the bullpen picture already crowded and his next step tied to how he finishes and what the club needs when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]