Should Brandon Hyde Be Top Candidate For Seattle Mariners Managerial Search?

The Seattle Mariners managerial search has been reported to have upwards of 40 names.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said that although a skipper with experience managing is preferred, it's not a prerequisite. Among the speculated candidates include former managers Rocco Baldelli, bench coaches Kai Correa and former Houston Astros skipper Joe Espada, who was dismissed from the team officially Wednesday, one day after being granted permission by the team to interview for the M's job.

Among the speculated candidates for the search includes former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, which might be more than just speculation.

MLB insider Jon Morosi appeared on the Wyman & Bob show on Seattle Sports 710 recently and provided some confidence in Hyde's ability to perform well as a manager in his second potential stop. Morosi also said that he's heard Hyde is "somewhere part of the process."

"One name to mention, who I’ve heard is somewhere part of the process, is Brandon Hyde who I think would be a lot better on his second time (as a manager)," Morosi said on his recent radio appearance. "I thought he did a very good job to get that Orioles team to the playoffs twice. He didn’t really have, in my opinion, enough pitching to really make a run at the World Series, but he got that team to the playoffs multiple times, which in that division is very difficult to do."

As is the case with most candidates, there are some pros and cons to bringing in Hyde as a manager.

Hyde spent the better part of seven seasons as Baltimore's manager before being fired mid-year in 2025. He posted a 421-492 record in that span.

The 2023 American League Manager of the Year, who's currently working as a senior advisor to the baseball operations department with the Tampa Bay Rays (currently competing in the American League Championship Series) was able to successfully oversee a rebuild for the Orioles. That rebuild saw the arrival of players such as Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and resulted in the team posting a 101-61 record in 2023 and winning the franchise's first American League East title since 2014.

The '23 season ended unceremoniously for Baltimore in the American League Divisional Series courtesy of a sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers. The Orioles again made the playoffs in 2024 with a 91-71 record, but were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the wild card series. There was a public perception of the team as American League contenders entering 2024, which made the regular season and postseason results disappointing for fans. His tenure as skipper ended 43 games into 2025 after the team had a 15-28 record in that stretch.

Hyde does have experience making and winning a World Series as a member of a coaching staff. He was the first base for the Chicago Cubs in 2016 when the franchise broke its century-plus-long championship drought.

But, Hyde's experience as the skipper of Baltimore is vastly different than the situation in Seattle. The core of the roster is already in place and has experience making the American League Championship Series. Most of the starting rotation and key position players such as Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh, have already played under two managers.

It's unclear how Hyde would perform as manager joining a team that already has most of the roster in place and has had great highs, such as making the ALCS in 2025 and lows such as missing the playoffs in 2026.

Perhaps the biggest pro working for Hyde is his current work as an assistant to baseball operations with the Rays. The team has made the ALCS and secured the No. 1 seed in the AL despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and Hyde likely has had an opinion on roster moves or decisions in his current role.

Hyde's total experience as a coach and a manager in arguably the most difficult division in baseball could make him an ideal candidate. If Tampa Bay makes or wins the World Series, that could strengthen his case depending on how much he had to do in the team turning things around from its 77-85 record in 2025.