As the Seattle Mariners weigh a replacement for Dan Wilson, two names sit well outside the usual lane: Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
Neither comes with a traditional big-league coaching track record, but both carry the kind of baseball credibility that can make a front office stop and think. And both, at least on paper, bring something the Mariners could use.
Pujols would be the louder swing. One of the greatest hitters ever to step into a box, he spent 22 seasons in the majors with the St.
Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. His career line - .296 with 703 home runs and 2,218 RBIs - is the kind that points straight to Cooperstown.
He was a three-time MVP, an 11-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger, a two-time Gold Glover, a batting champion and a Clemente Award winner.
His coaching and managing background is still short, but it exists. Pujols led Escogido to the 2024-25 Dominican Winter League championship, managed the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, interviewed for the Angels’ managerial opening last season and was named President of Baseball Operations for Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League in April.
That last piece makes the fit complicated. It’s unclear whether he’d walk away from that role this quickly, but the Mariners would still be smart to make the call.
Pujols has managed in pressure situations, and his work with the Dominican team has given him a relationship with Julio Rodriguez. For Seattle, that connection may matter just as much as any résumé line.
There’s also a less comfortable wrinkle: Jerry Dipoto and Pujols already have history. Dipoto helped sign Pujols to a major deal with the Angels, but their time there ended badly, with Pujols reportedly opposed to Dipoto’s view of how the club should have been run.
More than a decade later, that might not be a deal-breaker. It still counts as something the Mariners would have to weigh.
Molina is a different kind of possibility, but just as intriguing. At 44, he remains one of the finest catchers the sport has ever seen.
In a Cardinals career packed with hardware, he made 10 All-Star teams, won nine Gold Gloves, took home four Platinum Gloves and helped St. Louis win two World Series titles.
Like Pujols, he does not have a full-time big-league coaching job on his record. But he has managed in the Venezuelan Winter League, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Winter League, and he has led Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic twice.
That matters because those jobs are not ceremonial. A World Baseball Classic manager works under real pressure, and Molina is clearly respected in those settings. He is currently in an advisory role with the Cardinals and has also been in the dugout on select occasions, so he is not walking in cold.
From Seattle’s perspective, the fit is easy to see. As a former catcher, Molina could build a strong relationship with Cal Raleigh, which is no small thing given Raleigh’s importance to the roster.
He could also have a positive influence on Rodriguez, and he has a relationship with Brendan Donovan from their time in St. Louis.
Both names are unconventional. Both come with questions. But if the Mariners are serious about exploring every angle in this search, Pujols and Molina are two outside-the-box options worth at least a conversation.
In Other News...
Emerson Hancock Gave Mariners Hope But One Concern Still Lingers
Emerson Hancock gave the Mariners a real reason to feel better about the back of their rotation in 2026. The right-hander put together a career-best 3.57 ERA and 2.7 bWAR while looking more like the pitcher Seattle hoped it was drafting, with a tick up in velocity and mechanical changes that helped his strikeout rate and made his fastball play better.
Still, the picture around Hancock is not fully settled, and that is where the caution comes in for Seattle. Some of the deeper indicators behind his breakthrough suggest the improvement may not be as sturdy as the surface results, and with George Kirby and Bryce Miller also in the mix, Hancocks long-term place in the rotation remains a question the Mariners have not quite answered. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Fans Can Dream On Elly De La Cruz But The Price Changes Everything
Elly De La Cruz is the kind of name that naturally gets Mariners fans talking, because a player with that blend of speed, power and star power would change the shape of a lineup in a hurry. The idea of Seattle making a run at the Cincinnati infielder also fits a familiar front-office question: when is it time to turn a deep prospect system into proven impact talent?
The hurdle, of course, is that De La Cruz is not the kind of player a club simply shops around and replaces. Any serious attempt would come with a steep price, and the Mariners would have to decide how much of their prospect depth they are willing to sacrifice for a centerpiece who could help now and for years to come. That is where the conversation shifts from fantasy fit to real roster-building risk, and it is why this one is more dream than easy solution. [Read more 🡒]
Julio Rodrguez Just Made A Future Mariners Call Much Tougher
Julio Rodrguez has already given the Mariners plenty to believe in, from the early-career stardom that made him the face of the franchise to the steady sense that Seattle still views him as central to its long-term plans. Even with the uneven stretches that have crept into his game, the organization is still headed toward a major decision after the 2028 season, one that could shape the direction of the roster for years.
The complication is that Rodrguezs recent trends have made that call harder to project than it once looked. His defense has slipped, his plate discipline has not been as sharp, and his inconsistency has created at least some pause even as the Mariners seem inclined to keep him in place. Add in the way his clubhouse standing and overall importance continue to matter, and this figures to be one of the biggest decisions Seattle faces when that contract choice arrives. [Read more 🡒]