The Seattle Mariners are betting on Jason Kanzler to be the voice that steadies the room and sharpens the roster after moving on from Dan Wilson following the 2026 MLB season.
It’s a move that doesn’t come with the flash of a Joe Espada or an Albert Pujols type of hire. Kanzler is a less familiar name to plenty of fans, but the Mariners clearly saw something in him that fit what they wanted for 2027 and beyond.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez laid out the case for why Seattle landed on Kanzler. “A former outfielder who was drafted in the 20th round in 2013, Kanzler previously spent five years in the Houston Astros organization, serving as a major league coach in 2022 and 2023,” Gonzalez wrote.
That background matters. Kanzler was part of the Astros’ 2022 World Series team, and he also spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Cubs as their director of player development. With Pete Crow-Armstrong breaking out and other Cubs prospects trending well, that track record clearly caught Seattle’s attention.
The Mariners also weren’t just hiring for experience. Gonzalez reported that “Former Astros manager Joe Espada was reportedly also a finalist for the position, but the Mariners valued Kanzler’s combination of intelligence, intensity, and creativity and believe he will help players continue to develop in the major leagues, which they see as crucial to a roster featuring several up-and-coming young players,” Gonzalez writes.
That part tells you where Seattle’s head is at. The Mariners have young talent, but the challenge has been getting that talent to settle in and produce at the big-league level. If Kanzler can help that group take the next step, the hire will pay off even if everything isn’t spotless on game day.
Jerry Dipoto also made the organization’s thinking plain. “Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve,” Dipoto said. “Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle.”
There’s risk in handing the job to a first-time manager. That part is obvious.
But inside the Mariners’ building, the focus is on what Kanzler can do with a roster loaded with upside. If he can get the most out of the club’s young core and the players who are still trying to find their footing in the majors, Seattle will feel a lot better about this choice.
In Other News...
Washington State Already Has An Early Offensive Problem
Washington States home season opener turned into an early warning sign on the offensive end, as Davidson walked out of Pullman with a 76-61 win and plenty of room to feel good about how it handled the Cougars. Sam Browns 22 points and Nick Janowskis 21 paced a Davidson attack that kept pressure on the floor all night, including 12 made three-pointers that helped the Wildcats control the game.
For Washington State, the bigger concern was how hard it was to generate clean offense without projected scoring leader Ronnie Harrison in the lineup. Jaylen Harrell provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, but the Cougars never found much rhythm and now have an early issue to sort through as the season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga Passed Its First Real Test But One Question Already Looms
Opening night around the Pac-12 brought a mixed start for the league, with seven of the nine teams in action and six coming away with wins. Gonzaga handled Purdue 78-72 in one of the evenings marquee matchups, while Utah State rolled past Idaho State and Oregon State cruised by Weber State, leaving Washington State among the teams trying to regroup after a rough first impression.
For the Cougars, the early concern is less about the result than the way it happened against Davidson. Washington State fell 76-61 at home, and the offense never found much rhythm, finishing at 35% from the field and connecting on only 5 of 24 shots from beyond the arc. In a season that is just getting started, that kind of opening-night efficiency leaves an immediate question hanging over what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Still Has A Few Bright Spots Worth Arguing About
Through nine games, Washington States season has been rough enough that the conversation has shifted from wins and losses to which players have actually given the Cougars something to build around. A position-by-position look at the roster still turns up a few names worth debating, with quarterback Owen Eshelman, running back Kirby Vorhees and receivers Branden Ganashamoorthy and Trey Leckner all standing out in different ways. On the line, left guard Jonny Lester has drawn attention too, while defensive end Matyus McLain has provided one of the clearer bright spots on the other side of the ball.
What makes the exercise interesting is how much of it comes down to sorting through production and Pro Football Focus grades, which can sharpen the picture even when the team record does not. Eshelmans role at quarterback has become central to the evaluation, Vorhees has offered steady value in the backfield, and the receiving group has given Washington State at least a few reliable options to point to. Even in a season that has gone sideways, those individual performances matter because they hint at which pieces might still fit when the Cougars start trying to put the whole thing back together. [Read more 🡒]