Dan Wilson’s impending departure from the Seattle Mariners felt inevitable long before he announced his own firing last weekend.
Seriously. We’ve obviously seen managers end the season by directly confirming they intend to retire or resign, but reading a team-issued statement about why he won’t be back next season? Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners certainly have courage, especially given Wilson’s place in the team’s Hall of Fame.
But Wilson is gone, and the Mariners need a new manager. We’ve already heard the Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo mentioned as a possible replacement, and Dipoto hinted he’d prefer someone with experience.
“We need fresh thought,” Dipoto told reporters earlier this week. “We need something new. It could be a shift in programming. It could be a shift in messaging. It could be a shift in language.”
Although we haven’t limited this list to only those who have managed before, let’s start with an honorable mention extremely familiar with the Mariners’ organization.
Honorable mention: Stephen Vogt, Cleveland Guardians manager
Hey, we’re just the messenger. The Seattle Times reported that Vogt, who is in his third season in Cleveland, could be a candidate because he previously worked for the Mariners and lives in Washington during the offseason.
As of Sept. 30, there is no indication that Vogt wants to leave Cleveland, nor have any issues been reported between him and lead baseball executive Chris Antonetti. But given that the report came from a credible source, we'll include him as an honorable mention.
Brad Ausmus, New York Yankees bench coach
Is the third time the charm for Ausmus? He went 314-332 in five seasons managing the Tigers (2014-17) and the Angels (2019), and he remains a well-respected baseball figure. You could do a lot worse than hiring the longtime Astros catcher.
More recently, Ausmus managed Team Israel during this past spring’s World Baseball Classic. He’s definitely worth a call, if only to gauge his interest in managing again. Keep in mind that Ausmus turns 58 next April, and he wouldn’t be the first ex-manager to prefer staying an assistant.
John Gibbons, Los Angeles Angels bench coach
Should going nearly 10 years without a full-time managerial position be a deterrent? The 64-year-old Gibbons hasn’t led a team since parting ways with the Blue Jays following the 2018 season. He’s spent the last few years as an assistant with both the Mets and Angels, so he’s familiar with both the AL West and ownership groups not afraid to spend in free agency.
But above all else, the longtime Toronto skipper proved during his second Blue Jays stint (2013-18) that he knows how to keep players in line without being a strict disciplinarian. Given all that went wrong with Cal Raleigh this past season, Gibbons certainly makes sense for Seattle.
Mickey Storey, Sugar Land Space Cowboys manager
Who!?
Storey is admittedly a bizarre choice, but hear us out. You’ll remember the shock when the Nationals hired Blake Butera, a highly successful minor-league manager who’d never worked on a major league staff, as their manager last offseason. Sports are all about trends, and we won’t be surprised to see teams pursue younger candidates whose experience primarily came in the minors.
The 40-year-old Storey, who pitched for the Astros and Blue Jays, owns a .525 winning percentage over seven seasons managing the Space Cowboys. He also earned 2024 PCL Manager of the Year and led Sugar Land to its first Triple-A championship.
Considering that Butera and the rebuilding Nationals finished 77-85 and avoided 90 losses for the first time since 2019, he may have just set the path for Storey to be in a big-league dugout next year.
Ryan Flaherty, Chicago Cubs bench coach
When the Orioles fired Brandon Hyde in the spring of 2025, the media floated Flaherty as a potential replacement. He’d played for the club from 2012-17 and, for a time, was considered one of baseball’s rising coaching stars.
Baltimore obviously went with Craig Albernaz, and Flaherty remained in Chicago. Could he trade the North Side for the Pacific Northwest? He also turned 40 this summer, and teams have embraced younger candidates in recent years.
Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks manager
As we said earlier, Lovullo was linked to the Mariners’ job even before Wilson’s dismissal. We don’t quite understand the fit, but we also predicted Kyle Schwarber would finish with 65 home runs.
Our biggest issue with Lovullo is how he’s handled Ketel Marte, who left the Diamondbacks twice without team permission over 13 months. Even if Marte is the one making those choices, where was Lovullo to lay down the law?
For that reason alone, we’d likely pass on Lovullo. But his overall track record isn’t impressive, and 10 years of experience only go so far in our eyes.
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