The Seattle Mariners are looking for a new manager. Rocco Baldelli could be exactly the man for the job.
Baldelli, a special assistant to Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, hasn't managed in the big leagues since he was fired by the Minnesota Twins in the middle of the 2025 season.
Baldelli piloted Minnesota to 101 wins in his first season as manager in 2019. He led the team to its first postseason series victory in 19 years in 2023.
A Rhode Island native who spent his entire playing career in the American League East — first with the Tampa Bay Rays, then the Boston Red Sox — it's possible Baldelli fell in love with the West Coast since joining the Dodgers' front office. That might endear him to interviewing for the job in Seattle in an offseason with few such manager's available.
Former Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly took over the Philadelphia Phillies on an interim basis when Rob Thomson was fired at midseason. He's remaining with Philadelphia. Joe Espada's status for 2027 was up in the air as soon as the Houston Astros fired general manager Dana Brown.
The Mariners dismissed Dan Wilson from his job in September, the expected result of an unexpected 76-86 season. Wilson guided the team to its first-ever American League Championship Series appearance in 2025, and the veteran core of that roster remains in place.
For that reason, it would hardly be a surprise if the Mariners turn to a manager with big league experience, like Baldelli.
On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post mentioned Baldelli among several high-profile "possible candidates who would fit [president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto's] preference for experience" in finding Wilson's replacement. The others included Brandon Hyde, former Dodgers catcher David Ross and Espada.
According to multiple reports earlier in the day, the Mariners received permission from the Astros to interview Espada. Houston is coming off an 81-81 season that was good enough for first place in the American League West.
If the Mariners consider Baldelli a candidate for the job, Dipoto might already have placed a call to Andrew Friedman.
“We need fresh thought," Dipoto said at his end-of-season news conference. “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. We'll collaborate with whoever our future manager is, and try to find the right person.”
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