If the Seattle Mariners want Stephen Vogt, they’d have to get him from the Cleveland Guardians the old-fashioned way: through a trade.
That’s the key wrinkle in the Mariners’ managerial search. Vogt is under contract with Cleveland, so any move to bring him to Seattle would require a deal between the clubs. He remains an unlikely departure from the Guardians organization, but with the Mariners still without a manager, the conversation isn’t going away.
There’s some precedent for this kind of thing. It doesn’t happen often, but teams have traded for managers before, and the history gives a clear picture of how unusual it is.
Back in 2012, the Red Sox landed John Farrell from the Blue Jays in a swap that sent infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto along with right-handed pitcher David Carpenter. Farrell then spent five seasons in Boston, going 432-378 and winning the World Series in 2013.
A year earlier, the White Sox effectively traded Ozzie Guillen to the Marlins. Guillen had spent eight years managing Chicago from 2004-11, putting together a 678-617 record and winning five times in the standings, including the 2005 World Series.
Chicago released him from his contract after the 2011 season with one year still left, and while Miami technically didn’t have to send anything back, it sent two minor leaguers to the White Sox anyway. Guillen lasted one season in Florida, going 69-93 as the Marlins finished last in the National League East.
The Mariners themselves have been on the other side of one of these deals before. In 2002, they traded Lou Piniella to the Devil Rays for outfielder Randy Winn.
Piniella had managed Seattle for 10 years, from 1993 through 2002, and remains the most prominent manager in franchise history. During that run, he guided the club to four playoff appearances - 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001 - and three trips to the ALCS.
He also led the 116-win team in 2001 and oversaw a roster packed with some of the best players in franchise history.
Piniella’s time in Tampa Bay didn’t go nearly as well. He managed three seasons there, went 200-285 and never posted a winning record.
Winn, meanwhile, spent parts of three seasons with Seattle and hit .287 with 56 stolen bases. He had already been an All-Star in 2002 before the Mariners acquired him.
The list of manager-for-player deals goes back even further. Tanner spent one year with the A’s, going 87-74, before being dealt to the Pirates, where he managed for nine seasons and won the World Series in 1979. Manny Sanguillen went to Oakland in that trade and hit .275 with six home runs in one season.
There’s also the older example of Joe Gordon, who was managing in Cleveland when he was traded to the Tigers for manager Jimmy Dykes.
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