Halloween (Oct. 31) seems to be the date to look for when it comes to a potential hire for the Seattle Mariners open managerial job, based on several reports.

There have been few names that have been publicly reported as being involved in the managerial search, but a lot of speculation. So far, it's been confirmed that former Minnesota Twins skipper and current Los Angeles Dodgers special assistant to Baseball Operations Rocco Baldelli and former Houston Astros skipper Joe Espada are both candidates.

An article written by the Athletic's MLB insider Ken Rosenthal once again confirmed Espada and Baldelli as "serious candidates," while also mentioning another name with ties to the Astros.

Per Rosenthal, current Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler is also in the mix to be the new Seattle manager. Other candidates are also being considered, per the report.

Kanzler has been in his current role with the Cubs for the last three seasons. Before then, he was a minor league hitting coordinator and a major league hitting coach with Houston. He was a part of the coaching staff in the Astros' World Series-championship campaign in 2022.

Per Rosenthal's report, Kanzler worked closely with Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman, and his relationship with the latter played a role in the Cubs landing him in free agency this offseason.

One of the few benefits many reporters and insiders mentioned was, by having Espada as a managerial candidate, Seattle could get an idea of how its scouted by its biggest rivals and get an idea of how to make necessary organizational changes.

That potential benefit is likely the case for Kanzler as well, who worked in analytics and research and development while with Chicago and Houston.

He also could provide a more hands-on approach to managing than previous M's skipper Dan Wilson.

Kanzler was able to find a common thread with two extremely successful hitters in Pena and Bregman who both have dealt with their share of struggles, as well.

Bregman was a veteran when he began working with Kanzler and Pena, who went on to win the American League Championship Series and World Series MVP awards in 2022, made his major league debut the season the Astros won.

The Mariners will have a balance of veterans, such as Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor, with some young players such as Colt Emerson, Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes next season, which makes Kanzler's previous success with Houston coaching up experienced and neophyte players all the more important.

As for the cons, Kanzler doesn't have any managerial experience. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in his end-of-season news scrum that, although being a major league skipper wasn't a prerequisite, it was preferred.

Kanzler's experience is enticing and his experience working with data, development and analysis could establish a quick chemistry with the M's front office. But, Seattle is coming off disappointing endings to the tenures of two first-time managers in Scott Servais and Wilson. And going with a first-year manager for a third consecutive time will likely draw some criticism and come with a level of uncertainty.

The Mariners reportedly will be down to their list of final candidates by mid-to-late next week.