So, as usual, two things can be true at the same time.

1) I've said multiple times that the looming managerial hire for the Seattle Mariners is the biggest franchise decision since the "re-imagining" of 2018-19. Simply put, they have to get it right. With that, I want the Mariners to be thorough in their search and I don't mind them taking time to get it right.

2) All that said, there is a trade-off for being diligent and thorough.

Let's dive in.

Not much, as of now. We know that the M's are set to interview former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, but he's the only name that's been connected to the job publicly. We spoke about him with ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney on the latest edition of the "Refuse to Lose Territory" podcast.

As I wrote the other day, not really. Teams routinely take into late October or early November to make managerial hires. Furthermore, the Mariners and Astros are the only jobs currently available, so it's not like the M's have a bunch of competition for hires at this point. And also, it's likely that the Mariners want to interview candidates from the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians, all of which are still playing. Seattle likely wants to let the playoffs play out as much as they can before interviewing those candidates - at least in person.

We don't officially know that the sport is going to lock out the players on Dec. 2, but we basically know that it will. At that time, MLB team officials will be able to have no contact with players. So, the Mariners are free to take as long as they want to hire someone, but the longer they take, the more they shrink the window of approved communication.

The Mariners have spoken openly about a culture reset, and that's hard to achieve when your new manager can't speak to his players.

For example, if the Mariners hire someone new on Nov. 1, they will have only one month to gain trust and buy-in from players. If they go longer than that to make a hire, then they are shrinking that window more. Because of that, it's a balancing act. You want the right hire, but you want them in place soon enough to connect with the team. And oh yeah, the M's need to hire a number of new coaches as well.

And then, when the lockout ends, things will move fast. It will be harder for a manager to connect with his players because everyone will be so busy trying to catch up on all the business that was missed in the lockout.

The Mariners went 76-86 this season, missing the playoffs one year after getting to the ALCS. They let go of former manager Dan Wilson at the end of the season.