Following a disappointing 76-86 season and Dan Wilson’s departure, Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto announced on September 29, 2026, that the franchise will seek an experienced major-league manager for the 2027 season, with Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo emerging as a primary target.
The Seattle Mariners are resetting their organizational standards after a campaign that fell far short of expectations. Despite entering the year with lofty goals and a talented roster, the team finished with the American League’s fourth-worst record at 76-86. The struggles prompted a significant leadership shakeup, culminating in Dan Wilson calling a team meeting on Sunday morning, September 27, 2026, to inform players he would not return as manager for the 2027 season. Speaking to reporters on Monday, September 29, 2026, Jerry Dipoto shouldered the responsibility for the team’s collapse.
“The blame falls on me first, and I guess part of my job is making decisions for how to get better and make sure this doesn’t happen again. And it happened. And failure is only failure if you don’t learn from it. We’re hoping to learn these lessons and move forward in a productive way.”
Jerry Dipoto, Mariners President of Baseball Operations
Dipoto acknowledged that questioning his own position after 12 seasons at the helm of Seattle’s baseball-operations department is entirely justified. He admitted that he did an ineffective job of maintaining accountability across the front office, coaching staff, and roster as standards quietly faded throughout the summer.
Torey Lovullo Emerges as a Leading Candidate for the Seattle Bench
With the managerial search officially underway, industry sources indicate that the Mariners have discussed Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, whose contract in Arizona is expiring after his 10th season with the franchise. Lovullo led Arizona to a respectable 86-76 record in 2026, though the team missed the postseason for the third year.
Unlike Dipoto’s previous two hires in Seattle—Scott Servais and Dan Wilson, neither of whom had prior big-league managing experience—Lovullo brings a decade of tenure in the desert, compiling a 750-768 record with six winning seasons, two playoff appearances, and an National League pennant. Dipoto and Lovullo share a professional history, having crossed paths in Boston during the 2015 season when Dipoto served as a consultant and Lovullo managed the Red Sox on an interim basis.
While Lovullo represents the seasoned profile Seattle is hunting, financial considerations could pose a hurdle.
Other Experienced Skippers on Seattle’s Radar
Beyond Lovullo, the Mariners are casting a wide net for candidates with major-league managing backgrounds as they look to inject fresh messaging and eliminate insular programming into the clubhouse culture.
- Stephen Vogt: The Guardians manager has won three straight division titles and back-to-back AL Manager of the Year honors. Though he shares a strong relationship with catcher Cal Raleigh from their time together in 2023 and winters in Olympia, Washington, prying him loose from Cleveland would require a rare trade involving a manager.
- Rocco Baldelli: The former Twins skipper guided Minnesota from 2019 to 2025, winning an AL Manager of the Year award, posting a 527-505 record, and making three postseason appearances before joining the Dodgers’ front office.
- Chris Woodward: A former Seattle player and coach who managed the Texas Rangers from 2019 to 2022.
- Brandon Hyde: Guided the Baltimore Orioles to 421 wins and two playoff berths across six-plus seasons before his dismissal in 2025.
What a New Direction Means for the Roster
Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are conducting an immediate search aimed at bringing an outsider’s perspective to T-Mobile Park. The organization believes that shifting the messaging and bringing in a leader capable of challenging existing habits is essential after a regressive summer.
“There’s not a single candidate in baseball that wouldn’t be excited to take over this job, this ballpark, this city, the talent on that roster.”
Jerry Dipoto, Mariners President of Baseball Operations
The front office now seeks a manager who can maximize that talent and implement the necessary changes to ensure the team returns to a competitive trajectory next season.
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