The Seattle Mariners are being linked to a possible managerial change, and one name that has surfaced is Miguel Cairo, the 17-year MLB veteran now on the Washington Nationals’ staff.
That possibility comes as questions swirl around a number of clubs heading into an offseason that could get even stranger if baseball does, in fact, head toward a lockout. If teams miss the playoffs, the managerial picture should start to clear up relatively early.
Seattle is among the clubs drawing scrutiny. Dan Wilson has not, in the source’s words, done a bad job, but he also hasn’t done enough to lock down the job long term. With the Mariners described as one of the more disappointing teams in the league, the seat is getting warmer.
Cairo’s case is built on experience. He went 18-16 as the White Sox’s interim manager in 2022 after stepping in for Tony La Russa, then served as the Nationals’ interim skipper last year and went 29-43 during an organizational restructure. He also spent his playing career as an infielder, which gives him the kind of clubhouse credibility teams often value in a manager.
“This might be a surprising fit, but don’t sleep on Cairo finally earning a full-time managerial position. He went 18-16 as the White Sox’s interim manager in 2022 while filling in for Tony La Russa. The 17-year MLB veteran also served as the Nationals’ interim skipper last year, going 29-43 amid an organizational restructure.
“Whether it’s Cairo or someone else, I’m especially interested to see how a new manager would handle Cal Raleigh, whose emotional immaturity has only grown far more concerning throughout the season. Wilson has seemingly enabled Raleigh’s lack of accountability going all the way back to the World Baseball Classic,” Jake Elman wrote.
Still, nothing here guarantees Cairo would be the answer in Seattle. The Mariners need plenty of help, and any new manager would be stepping into a situation with a lot of work ahead.
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