The Mariners are looking for a manager with big-league experience, and the search has already started to take shape.
After Dan Wilson’s dismissal, Seattle is trying to reset following a 76-86 season that fell far short of expectations. The club entered 2026 with plenty of talent and high hopes, but instead finished with the American League’s fourth-worst record. Even so, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto sounded confident Monday that the job should draw plenty of interest.
“There’s not a single candidate in baseball that wouldn’t be excited to take over this job, this ballpark, this city, the talent on that roster.”
Dipoto also made clear that this time around, Seattle wants a manager who has already done the job in the majors. That would mark a shift from both Wilson and Scott Servais, the two previous hires under Dipoto, who each got their first shot as a big league skipper in Seattle.
“We need fresh thought,” said Dipoto, who has been at the helm of the M’s baseball department since 2015. “We need something new.
It could be a shift in programming. It could be a shift in messaging.
It could be a shift in language.”
Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are already “making phone calls around the league” as they sort through candidates, and one name to watch is Torey Lovullo. Industry sources told Adam Jude that the Mariners have discussed the Diamondbacks manager, who appears to be one of the leading options.
Lovullo’s contract is expiring after his 10th season in Arizona, and his run there has been a long one: 750-768, six seasons above .500, two playoff berths and an NL pennant. Arizona went 86-76 in 2026 but still missed the postseason for the third straight year, and without a new deal in place, Lovullo could wind up in Seattle or elsewhere this winter.
A few other experienced names are also in the mix, according to Jude. That group includes Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, Dodgers special assistant Rocco Baldelli, Dodgers first base coach Chris Woodward and Rays senior advisor Brandon Hyde.
Vogt stands out because of his connection to the Mariners. He worked as Seattle’s bullpen coach in 2023 and built a close relationship with catcher Cal Raleigh.
He and his family also live in Olympia, Wash., during the winter. Still, Jude described him as “highly unlikely” to leave Cleveland this offseason.
That makes sense given what Vogt has accomplished. He has won AL Manager of the Year honors in each of the past two seasons and has guided the Guardians to three straight division titles.
If Seattle were somehow to land him, it would likely take a rare trade for a manager. The Mariners did something similar in 2002, when they sent Lou Piniella to the Rays for outfielder Randy Winn, but another deal like that feels far-fetched.
Baldelli brings a different résumé. He managed the Twins from 2019-25, winning AL Manager of the Year once while going 527-505 and reaching the playoffs three times. Minnesota let him go after a 70-92 season last year, though he had expressed interest in managing again before joining the Dodgers’ front office.
Woodward also has Seattle ties, having played for the Mariners in 2009 and coached there from 2014-15. He managed the Rangers from 2019-22 and finished 211-287.
Hyde, meanwhile, led Baltimore to a 421-492 record and two playoff trips in more than six seasons before the Orioles dismissed him after a 15-28 start in 2025. He spent last winter in the Rays’ front office.
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