Seattle Mariners Candidate List Expands Beyond Known Names, Per Report

The Seattle Mariners received bad news in their managerial search with the reported news that former Minnesota Twins skipper and current special assistant to baseball operations Rocco Baldelli (Los Angeles Dodgers) pulled out of consideration for the job.

Baldelli became the second known candidate to have pulled out of the search. Former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pulled out of consideration for the job to take the third base job with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Per a post on "X" from Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude, Baldelli's decision to not pursue the job was due to having family and roots in Florida, obviously far away from Seattle.

With Baldelli, who was considered the front-runner for the job by many sources, pulling out of the job search, it leaves only three other candidates that have been publicly reported to be involved in the search: former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and current Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler.

According to a follow-up report on "X" from Jude, the Mariners have been intentionally "tight-lipped" on potential candidates, which is why there have been few names linked to the job. Mendoza wasn't confirmed to be a candidate until he decided not to continue the interview process.

Per Jude, there are "mystery candidates" being seriously considered and there's movement expected in the next "handful of days." Seattle has been reported to be looking at Halloween as a deadline to find a new skipper.

The report is an important detail for the Mariners' search. There have been a lot of potential candidates that have been speculated as potential fits, including current Mets bench coach Kai Correa, who played college baseball in the Pacific Northwest, and Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Kristopher Negron, who was on the M's coaching staff from 2022-25 and served as the first base and third base coach.

Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in his end-of-season news conference that while managerial experience isn't a prerequisite, it is preferred. And depending on the mystery candidates still being considered, the list of candidates who fit that criteria could exceed beyond Hyde and Espada.

David Ross, who managed the Cubs from 2020-23 and has since been an MLB Network and ESPN analyst, and bullpen coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, has also been speculated as a potential fit.

The Mariners and the rest of MLB will have just about one month of free agency between when the period begins and when the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the MLB and MLB Players Association expires Dec. 1.

Seattle would ideally like to find a manager before that period begins as to focus on the abridged free agency and allow the new skipper to build a rapport with the team.