Drayer: Taking stock of the Mariners’ manager search

Several pieces of news emerged from the Seattle Mariners’ managerial search over the past week or so.

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Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, who lives with his family in Olympia, Washington, during the offseason, confirmed he’s returning for a fourth season as the Guardians’ skipper in 2027, squashing speculation that he could be a candidate for the Mariners’ job.

Also, former Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler both surfaced as reported candidates for the Seattle opening. They join former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada on the list of reported candidates.

In the video above, Mariners insider Shannon Drayer delves into those developments and what it means. Below is a transcript of the video.

Stephen Vogt off the list

We’ll start with somebody who is not going to be the Mariners manager, and that’s Stephen Vogt.

I understand why this was exciting for some to think about. His family is just down the road. He spent a year with the Mariners.

But when you really think about it, dream jobs open all the time in baseball. Managers, I’m sure, have that pull quite a bit, yet we’ve only seen three trades in the 2000s for managers. So I’m really not surprised that it didn’t happen this time, especially when you take into consideration the success that Vogt has had in Cleveland and where he is in his contract there.

Now, could it happen someday? Yes, but right now it appears the timing is not right. So we take him off of the list.

Rocco Baldelli in the mix

We heard a confirmation of sorts that there was interest in Rocco Baldelli, and this is a candidate that brings managerial experience, and I think pretty good managerial experience at that. But what I think would make them an even better fit with this organization is the time that he had in the Rays’ organization, both as a player and a coach, and the year spent in the Dodgers’ front office.

When you take a look at the game today, you may or may not like the analytics, but hey, this is where it’s at. Analytics, technology, biomechanics – everybody’s trying to open the next door. AI is becoming a big thing. You need somebody who can not just take that information, but communicate it as well. And having been a player in an organization that utilized it better than almost all, if not the best, and also working as a coach, he brings all aspects. He’s got experience across the spectrum with it, and I think that’s important.

But I think the most unique experience he has is Rocco Baldelli was a top-tier player. He is a former No. 6 overall draft pick. This is a guy that was a five-tool player, and that sometimes does carry a little bit more gravitas in a clubhouse. Now, his career was cut short unfortunately by some really tough medical conditions, but he did have success in the time that he was with the Twins, particularly in his first year with 101 wins.

And when you talk to people, he was a good communicator, a good player’s manager, and they really don’t put the downfall of the Twins at his feet. There were some other things that were going on at the time. Go ahead and take that experience into your next experience. That’s a plus as well.

So Rocco Baldelli, an interesting candidate and completely understandable why the Mariners would be interested.

Jason Kanzler also in the mix

The third name that came out in the search – and the second name this week – is a very interesting one: Jason Kanzler, who is the director of player development for the Cubs.

No managerial experience at any level. He did play in the minors for a couple of years, an infielder, and then went and coached high school and taught high school science as well. He’s got a strong science background, and that’s something again that kind of leans into the pace that things are moving in the game right now as far as technology and science goes. So keep that in mind when you think about him.

Again, a good communicator. Ended up with the Astros, as he was hired to be a hitting coach in the minors, and eventually two years at the big league level as well. So he does have big league coaching experience, but he doesn’t have any manager experience.

To me, this is somebody who is very out-of-the-box, a very out-of-the-box candidate. And when you hear kind of what’s been written about him and what people have said, a forward-thinker, very smart, great communicator, and again, somebody that is not afraid to try different things. I think that’s intriguing.

I also think it’s very intriguing that he’s just 36 years old. He would be the second-youngest manager in all of baseball behind Blake Butera at 34, who also had a very extensive minor league experience coming into his major league job, but a lot more managerial experience or coaching experience.

But what I’m kind of intrigued by with this is he would be so close in age to the core of the players. The Mariners’ core next year will be averaging around 28 to 30 years old. How does he communicate with them? I think it would be absolutely fascinating to watch with what he brings on the science side and then what he brings in that very little age difference. He speaks the language. Very interesting.

And with all that said, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi this week on Wyman and Bob pointed out that oftentimes teams when they are doing managerial searches will bring in names of interest that perhaps they want to get to know a little bit more, learn more about, and from perhaps, and keep in mind for other openings, be it in the future or perhaps on the staff. So I think there’s a good chance that’s what it is.

But also, Jerry Dipoto’s two previous managerial hires that he made were both very out-of-the-box. Scott Servais hadn’t managed before, and while it’s become much more the norm almost, it raised eyebrows when he was hired. And then of course, Dan Wilson also hadn’t managed before, but had that strong team history and organizational work too. So those were not conventional hires in the least bit.

Would he go in that direction a third time? I’m not so sure about that, but it’s fun to think about.

The Mariners’ timeline

So again, there is no timeline, there is no deadline to this, but there’s not much time. Once that manager is hired, they’re going to want to get out, meet the players, touch base, and start that communication process. And that will be cut off when the lockout begins. So that’s something to keep in mind. And of course, this will be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

The question now: Are we talking about more candidates next week, or are we talking about the next Mariners manager?

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Mariners manager candidate Rocco Baldelli has ‘good blend’ of experience
• Morosi shares insight on the M’s manager candidate we know the least about
• A closer look at reported Seattle Mariners manager candidate Joe Espada

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