Mariners Name Jason Kanzler 19th Full-Time Manager in Franchise History

Jason Kanzler joins the Seattle Mariners as manager after serving as the director of player development for the Chicago Cubs.

The Seattle Mariners introduced Jason Kanzler as the 19th full-time manager in franchise history on Wednesday. Kanzler replaces Dan Wilson, who was fired following a 2026 season where the team finished with a 76-86 record. General manager Justin Hollander cited Kanzler’s background as an analytics-forward player-development coach as a primary factor in the hiring decision.

Kanzler most recently served as the director of player development for the Chicago Cubs during the 2024 season. His coaching career includes a stint as a minor league hitting coach for the Houston Astros starting in 2019, followed by a promotion to Dusty Baker’s major league staff in 2022. During that 2022 season, he was part of the Astros staff that won the World Series after a sweep of the Mariners in the American League Division Series.

Prior to coaching, Kanzler was a 20th-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in the 2013 MLB draft and played three seasons in the minor leagues. He also worked as a high school physics and chemistry teacher in Katy, Texas, after his playing career ended. As a college athlete at Buffalo, he was a two-time Rawlings Gold Glover as a walk-on outfielder.

This appointment marks the third manager hired by Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations, who had no prior experience managing at the professional level. Kanzler joins a Seattle roster featuring Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh after the club failed to meet expectations following a 2025 campaign that reached Game 7 of the ALCS.