Seattle Mariners: Biggest Takeaways From Jason Kanzler's Introductory Press Conference

SEATTLE — "The brand of baseball I'd like to see and be (manifested) in this identity is something akin to 'step on their throats.' We want to win. We want to beat the other team, but we have to do it in whatever way possible."

That was one of many quotes from Jason Kanzler, who was introduced as the new manager of the Seattle Mariners in an introductory news conference Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.

Kanzler's hiring marked the end of a lengthy managerial search that included as many as 40 candidates.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander hired Kanzler despite him not having any managerial experience. He's the third skipper in Dipoto's tenure in the Mariners front office, none of whom had experience managing a major league team beforehand.

Kanzler most recently had a three-year tenure as director of player development for the Chicago Cubs minor league system from 2024-26.

Wednesday marked the first impression many Seattle fans had of Kanzler, and also the first bit of inside knowledge on how the front office made the decision on the hire.

Here's several takeaways from Wednesday's news conference:

Following the dismissal of Dan Wilson as manager of the team in September, Dipoto said in a news scrum that someone with prior experience as a manager was preferred, but not a prerequisite in the team's search for its new skipper.

Kanzler's interview process superseded that preference for the front office.

"Experience is good," Dipoto said. "In this case, we didn't think it was good enough to dissuade us from all of the traits that Jason brings to the table. He checked almost every box that you could check in terms of career experiences. The uniqueness of his developmental path, I think, is gonna go a long way with modern players. The way he communicates ... it's very clear. You won't be confused as to what the directive is when you leave the station, and I think our players will pick up on that."

At the conclusion of this past season, players spoke on a lack of accountability and an absence of identity as contributing factors for why the team fell short of the World Series-contender expectations it had entering the year.

Dipoto, in his news scrum at the end of the season, also brought up the team losing its identity.

Kanzler opined that, rather than "force" an identity onto the ball club, it's better to let the best quality of the teams surface and build an identity on that. Wins are the focus and however that manifests for the particular roster is the goal.

"I'm not here to impose an identity on this team," Kanzler said. "The identity of this team will surface organically. My role in that is making sure that I'm facilitating the best possible version of that identity. ... (The way to win is) not some broad, sweeping methodology. We have to use the individuals and their strengths to win and beat the opponent."

In the interviews with Kanzler and former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, the other reported finalist for the job, the M's' front office had a chance to hear an outside perspective on the roster from people who had scouted extensively against the team in the past.

Kanzler was also a member of the Astros organization as a major and minor league hitting coach before his prior job with the Cubs.

In those interviews, Dipoto and Hollander's views on its roster were affirmed in several respects, which provides an insight on how the team will add to the roster going into next season.

"We learned a lot," Dipoto said. "We got to talk to a lot of smart people. Some that we've known before, some that we've met for the first time. I would say 100% of those who we sat with believe that we're a bad defensive team. That was what I learned. We thought that, too, so it wasn't like we were trying to get over a line. But that was pretty obvious from everybody that they thought that was the lowest hanging fruit to attack moving forward. Something Jason discussed and was brought to light by just about everybody. Most everybody we sat with couldn't have (more praise on) what we do on a pitching and player development side."

Seattle will have an abbreviated timeline to sign or acquire players on the major league side of things. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the MLB and MLB Players Asssociated (MLBPA) expires Dec. 1. After that point, major league players will be unable to use the team's facilities and clubs can't make roster moves.

The team will also officially be unable to contact players, which adds to the pressure for Kanzler to familiarize himself with his players.

That process has already begun and Kanzler intends on pursuing in-person and virtual conversations to establish a baseline with his roster before the lockout.

"That is probably my top priority," Kanzler said. "I think building the relationships with the humans that I'm gonna be around with every day is of the utmost importance. I don't have a ton to share yet, although I have started to speak to quite a few of the players already. But I am deeply looking forward to getting to know these guys as people first."

It was reported before Kanzler was announced as manager that the Mariners had already found a hitting coach in C.J. Gillman, who most recently was the director of hitting for the Washington Nationals.

Kanzler was aware of Gillman's hiring and the two have knowledge of each other, but reports that the two were "close friends" wasn't accurate, per Kanzler.

Many of the players on Seattle's roster have familiarity with Gillman due to his previous role as the organization's minor league hitting instructor. He had that role for four years from Nov. 2021-Dec. 2025.

"He's no-nonsense, high-standards, high-challenge, high-support, excellent content," Kanzler said in an individual scrum following the news conference. "(He) knows what he's doing. (Has) familiarity with a lot of these players, which I think is really helpful. I do think that the players are going to respond immediately to his presence."

As for the rest of the coaching staff, the team's established pitching coach Pete Woodworth and director of pitching strategy Trent Blank will both be back next season. The team plans on beginning the process on finding the rest of the staff Thursday.

"We're about to get into it tomorrow once we get through today," Hollander said in the news conference. "We have shared a lot of ideas. It will be a completely collaborative effort (with Kanzler and the front office). It's really important that we all share the same vision, that we all bring names to the table and we choose just the best person for the Mariners. We're all working together. ... We have half a staff left to fill out. I have a bunch of names written on my board. Some are Jason's names, some are names Jerry or I or someone else in our baseball (operations) group thought of."

When Kanzler was the hitting coach for Houston in 2022, he helped instruct a roster that went all the way a World Series championship.

That roster was comprised of several experienced and successful veterans, such as Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve, among others. There was also some talented young players on the team, such as Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez, the latter of the two earned the first of four career All-Star selections in '22.

Kanzler was available to develop a rapport with the veterans and young players alike, something he'll be asked to do in the Pacific Northwest.

For some players on the roster, Kanzler will be the third manager they've played under. Others have just a month of major league experience.

"Even the best, most veteran players want to be better and they want to win and they want to find the edge," Kanzler said. "Their status, their tenure, does not matter. These guys are competitors. Professional baseball players are competitors. I know that is group of players are competitors. So, what I'm gonna take from (the Astros) is what I learned, which is even the best players want to be better and they want to win. And when you rally behind common goal and a common vision, it doesn't matter what your status is. You will just do the right things and do them often."

Organizationally, Seattle will now have to fill out the coaching staff and continue its efforts in free agency, which is now completely open. The team will also have MLB GM meetings, which take place from Nov. 9-12 in Las Vegas.