Mariners Manager News: Buster Olney Points Out Possible Deterrent For Candidates

As we have been covering religiously since the outset of the offseason, the Seattle Mariners are in need of a new manager after letting go of Dan Wilson at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

The Mariners have said the search for a new skipper will be wide-ranging and there are no publicly known candidates at this time.

Regardless of who the Mariners hire, they have to get it right. For me, this is the biggest franchise decision since the team elected to step back and "re-imagine" things after the 2018 season.

Given the weak division that the Mariners play in, the amount of talent still on the roster, the relative youth of the roster and the amount of talent under long-term contract, the job would seem to be attractive to any candidate that is looking to manage.

However, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney raised a point on last Thursday's 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast about one possible deterrent for candidates: Geography.

"I'd say this, one of the reasons, maybe the primary reason someone wouldn't like the job, wouldn't be the identity of the head of baseball operations, the general manager, (it's) about geography.

Like the perception of the Mariners is, the travel thing is real. Like there is more wear and tear on this group of players, on this team, than any other organization because they travel more miles than any other team.

And so that is real. And I do think that, and I know this, through the years, having conversations with people who have considered going after jobs with the Mariners, and they talk about it and they say, 'yeah, you know, I love this, I love this. I love this, great city and it's too far away and it's not something I want to take on.'

But I do think it's a coveted job because of the context."

Once the schedule was changed to the balanced format after the 2022 season, the travel for the Mariners got even more extensive.

This past season alone, the M's had road trips to Detroit, Kansas City, Chicago (White Sox), Cleveland, Minnesota, New York (Yankees), Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Washington and Miami.

Next year they'll have to go to all of those cities, minus Washington and Miami, but including New York (Mets), Philadelphia, and Philadelphia. It is a rigorous schedule no doubt.

If you're looking for other possible deterrents for the job, we also spoke with Olney about money, where the Mariners are one of the lowest-paying managerial jobs in the sport.

He'll join us again this Thursday for another edition of his weekly podcast spot. The Mariners finished this season at 76-86 and in third place in the American League West, just one year after winning the division for the first time since 2001.