Seattle Mariners Managerial Search Narrows to Two on October 27 in Seattle, Washington: Espada and Kanzler to Interview This Week, Decision Expected Within the Week
The Seattle Mariners' managerial search is entering its final stage. According to Seattle Times reporters Adam Jude and Ryan Divish on October 27, former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler have become the final two candidates; the two will have in-person interviews on October 27 and 28, and the club plans to announce its new manager before the end of the week. The initial candidate list ran to 30 to 40 names, and the club spoke with many of them; Rocco Baldelli, previously seen as a leading candidate, withdrew recently, reportedly over family geography factors. The two finalists have sharply contrasting resumes: Espada, 51, has major league managerial experience, having managed the Astros for the past three seasons, winning the American League West with 88 wins in 2024 and again with 81 wins in 2026, but exiting early in both postseasons, and the Astros have decided not to bring him back for 2027; Kanzler, 36, has never managed at any level, has run the Cubs' farm system for the past three seasons, and previously worked five years in the Astros organization, serving as a minor league hitting coordinator in 2019 and joining the major league coaching staff in 2022, winning the 2022 World Series together with Dusty Baker. The report also noted that the Mariners could in theory still approach coaches from the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers after the World Series, but the tentative plan for now is to decide within the week.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：T-Mobile球场（西雅图水手队主场）（Wikimedia Commons：T-Mobile Park 2026.jpg，授权 CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Seth Tisue）
