The Seattle Mariners may have caught a break in their manager search before the process even really gets rolling.
For one thing, they’re currently the only club with an opening, which gives them a little breathing room while they sort through candidates. And according to reporting, they’re not limiting themselves. Seattle is casting a wide net, with the initial list said to include “upwards of 40 names.”
That matters because the Phillies, who had been viewed as a possible danger to Seattle on the managerial market, took themselves out of the mix by bringing Don Mattingly back. As reported by Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, Philadelphia decided to keep Mattingly after its 2026 season ended in the Wild Card Series at the hands of the Atlanta Braves.
The move was hardly a surprise in a vacuum, but it still changes the shape of the market. Two weeks ago, Mattingly was only an interim manager and not exactly a fan favorite.
The expectation had been that Dave Dombrowski might try to reunite with Alex Cora. That never came together, and once Cora was no longer available, the Phillies’ money and willingness to spend looked like a real threat to whoever Seattle was targeting.
Instead, Philadelphia went with the familiar face. It was the simple answer, and in the eyes of some, the uninspired one.
Mattingly’s managerial résumé is long enough - 13 years - but the results have been modest at best, with a .491 winning percentage. He also doesn’t carry a reputation as a tactical wizard.
Even his midseason confrontation with Bryce Harper remains open to interpretation: to some, it was old-school accountability; to others, it was just old-school.
That’s why some around Philadelphia had been pushing for a more exhaustive process. As Ethan Williams at That Ball’s Outta Here put it yesterday, the Phillies needed a “thorough, exhaustive” search for a new manager.
Seattle, meanwhile, is taking the broader approach.
Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that the Mariners’ first wave of names stretched to more than 40 candidates. Joe Espada is among them, with his contract with the Houston Astros nearing its end. Jon Heyman of the New York Post also mentioned Rocco Baldelli, Brandon Hyde and David Ross as possible fits for a club that appears to value experience.
Heyman added that Seattle is “casting wide net for their managerial job, a plum job due to talent, city, potential. Joe Espada, Rocco Baldelli, Brandon Hyde, David Ross are among possible candidates who’d fit preference for experience. Seattle received permission on Espada, as @Feinsand said”
The list is not believed to stop there, either. The Mariners are also said to be looking at coaches still involved in the playoffs, though the names haven’t surfaced yet.
For Seattle, that kind of ambiguity may be a plus. There doesn’t appear to be a clear betting favorite, which lines up with Jerry Dipoto’s comments about wanting “something new” from the next manager. That’s a different vibe from the team’s previous hires, when he went with a close friend in Scott Servais and then a franchise legend in Wilson.
The one catch is timing. There’s a lockout looming on December 1, and the Mariners have plenty more on their winter to-do list than finding a new skipper. For now, though, they at least won’t have to worry about Philadelphia swooping in and complicating the search.
In Other News...
Cal Raleighs Collapse Is Now A Warning In Shohei Ohtanis Mess
The Dodgers are suddenly facing a familiar October problem: what to do with a star whose bat has gone quiet while his body is clearly not right. Shohei Ohtanis recent struggles, along with the lingering injury concerns around him, have pushed Los Angeles into a delicate spot as it weighs how much patience it can afford in a playoff setting, especially with the margin for error shrinking by the day.
For Mariners fans, the comparison comes easy because Cal Raleighs season offered a cautionary version of this same dilemma. He battled through a right oblique strain in late April before the downturn became impossible to ignore, and the eventual move to the injured list in mid-May only underscored how quickly a slumping star can turn into a lineup problem. Now the question in Los Angeles is how far the Dodgers are willing to go to protect Ohtani, and whether the answer will look more like a short leash or a more dramatic change. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Manager Search Just Took A Stunning AL West Turn
The Mariners search for a new manager has taken an unexpected turn, with Houston manager Joe Espada now expected to interview for Seattles opening. The move adds an immediate AL West twist to a job that opened after the Mariners parted ways with Dan Wilson following a missed playoff push, and it underscores how quickly the search can widen beyond the usual pool of internal or out-of-market candidates.
Houston has already granted permission for the interview, and Espadas contract status adds another layer to the situation. Whether the Astros try to keep him remains unclear, but Seattles interest in a sitting division rival manager is a notable development in a search that now feels a little more complicated and a lot more intriguing. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Cannot Waste Another Offseason On A Stopgap Bat
Seattle spent another season trying to patch an offense with low-risk additions, and the results have been predictable enough. Rob Refsnyder became the clearest example of how a stopgap bat can leave the lineup still searching for someone who actually moves the needle, while Andrew Knizners limited impact only reinforced how little margin for error there is when the goal is to support a pitching staff built to win now.
For a club that keeps circling the same problem, the next offseason has to be about sturdier everyday offense, not another experiment. Seiya Suzuki and Mauricio Dubn fit the kind of dependable upgrade this roster has been missing, and if Bo Bichette reaches free agency after opting out of his contract with the Mets, Seattle would at least have a swing worth considering for a lineup that cannot afford another empty winter. [Read more 🡒]