The search for the new Mariners manager is underway. President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto says there is no timetable on the search.
The search for the new Mariners manager is underway. President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto says there is no timetable on the search. He is also adamant that the team wants a fresh set of eyes on things. In other words, for a franchise that loves to keep it within the family, it would appear to be an outside hire on the way in. Someone not necessarily with ties to the Ms.
So who might that be? Could they still have a Seattle or a Mariners connection? Let's take a look.
Torrey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks Manager
Torey is currently the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks. There is a very slight connection to the M's here; he briefly played for the Mariners in the mid-90s. What makes him an attractive candidate today, though, is what he's done in Arizona. A roster constructed similarly to the Mariners, and yet he still took them to the World Series. What we mean by the similar roster construction, by the way, is how the Diamondbacks aren't exactly big spenders like the Dodgers, but Lovullo always seems to have them in the playoff mix, or in 2023 when he took them to the World Series. Ironically, the two franchises trade often as well, including the deal that brought Josh Naylor to Seattle. Dipoto expressed the desire on Monday to hire a manager with prior MLB managing experience, calling it "preferable." Obviously, Lovullo provides that. He would certainly qualify as a fresh set of eyes, to me, I would be mightily intrigued to see what he could do with a Mariners roster that is arguably better and with much more potential than that of Arizona's. You will see Torey's name often in this search.
Stephen Vogt, Cleveland Guardians Manager
This has similar merit to the argument above for Lovullo.
The only catch here is that Stephen will be much harder to pry from the Guardians.
He has a contract that lasts longer and currently has Cleveland in the MLB playoffs. While Seattle is not a stranger to at least a past managerial transaction, like when they traded Lou Piniella to the Rays, it could require a similar major act to get Vogt in Seattle.
He keeps a home in the area and served on the Mariners staff in 2023 and 2024. It almost feels like a what could have been scenario, perhaps now a few years later, the Mariners get the Washington resident to lead the team.
Kristopher Negron
This may not entirely qualify as a fresh set of eyes, Negron was on the staff with Scott Servais, so he's quite familiar with the Mariners players. But other than taking over when Scott was ejected from games or even when Servais had a COVID-19 bout, Negron didn't get a chance to manage this team, and it's intriguing to see perhaps what he could have done in that role.
He is widely respected in baseball circles, and it was definitely seen as a loss when he departed Seattle for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a search that could go any number of ways, Negron could serve as a familiar, safe, and yet exciting prospect all at once.
Raul Ibanez
Dipoto did highlight the desire for a manager with prior experience, but this is a hire that he absolutely has to nail. If his search leads him to sort of an outside-the-box hire, then that's what it's going to be.
The former Mariners player, star really, would qualify as such and could perhaps be a jolt of energy for a team that so desperately needed it at so many points during the 2026 season.
Jerry has constructed a roster that got within a few outs of making the franchise's first World Series in 2025. Now he has to find the manager that can get this team over the hump for the first time in history.
If he doesn't? He May not last much longer in the job.
That's what makes this hire of paramount importance, and Dipoto will leave no stone unturned in what might be his final shot to make that happen.
