Salk: Mariners taking big risk with Jason Kanzler hire

The Seattle Mariners are taking a big risk.

It is a big swing and a big risk hiring Jason Kanzler, who has no prior managerial experience, is young at age 36 and never played in the big leagues.

Who is new M’s manager Jason Kanzler? Jon Morosi’s insight

So, there is a risk factor here. And if it doesn’t work, there’s probably going to be some resumes being updated.

That said, if it does work, it is going to be an absolutely brilliant hire. And I do like a lot of the reasoning behind it.

The youth helps with the communication. I think that was very important after the year or two that Dan Wilson had where communication was not up to snuff.

He’s going to bring a little bit more creativity. He’s going to bring a much better understanding of some of the analytical processes which are not just important, but crucial to winning games in the modern era.

And more than anything, he’s different. He’s a breath of fresh air. They’re trying to go about this a different way. They stated at the end of the Dan Wilson era that they were not comfortable with all of their process that they had in place for themselves, and they needed to go outside the building and look at this a different way. Well, you couldn’t get more different than Jason Kanzler.

So if this works, this will be the moment we all point to. If it doesn’t, well then it was a risk that didn’t work out. But it is a very interesting hire, to say the least, for the Seattle Mariners.

"It is a very interesting hire to say the least for the Seattle Mariners."@TheMikeSalk shares his thoughts on the #Mariners hiring Jason Kanzler as the team's next manager. pic.twitter.com/kv3zgXrJ4n

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) November 3, 2026

This article is a transcript of the video above. It is edited for clarity. Catch Mike Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Seattle Mariners 2B Cole Young wins first career Gold Glove
• Mariners reportedly hire new hitting coach as manager search continues
• Mariners rookie Michael Arroyo undergoes offseason surgery

Related

Who is new Mariners manager Jason Kanzler? Jon Morosi’s insightSeattle Mariners hire Jason Kanzler as their next managerM’s make 12 roster moves, extend qualifying offer to Randy ArozarenaMariners claim relief pitcher Isaac Mattson from Pittsburgh PiratesLou Piniella among 8 on ballot for Baseball HOF contemporary era committeeMariners 2B Cole Young wins first career Gold Glove