Rocco Baldelli Withdraws From Mariners’ Managerial Search

Baldelli previously served as the Minnesota Twins manager for seven seasons before joining the Dodgers organization in December 2025. It marked a reunion with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, whose stint as Tampa Bay Rays general manager overlapped with Baldelli’s playing career.

Baldelli also briefly worked in the Rays front office with Friedman after retiring.

The 45-year-old has stated that he remains interested in managing again, so he will presumably be a candidate for future opportunities when the time is right. Baldelli had been linked to previous Los Angeles Angels’ and Washington Nationals’ openings prior to latching on with the Dodgers.

Baldelli guided the Twins to a 527-505 record before being let go at the end of the 2025 campaign. He was named American League Manager of the Year in 2019 and helped Minnesota win three AL Central titles during his tenure as skipper.

Mariners’ managerial search

In addition to Baldelli, the Mariners are believed to have interviewed former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler for their managerial opening. They also reportedly held interest in former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza before he was hired by the Philadelphia Phillies as their new third base coach under Don Mattingly.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto previously hinted that he would prefer hiring a manager with experience, so that presumably gives Espada the edge over Kanzler.

Espada most recently served as the Houston Astros manager until being let go after the team was swept by the Chicago White Sox in the 2026 AL Wild Card Series. In his three seasons as Astros manager, he led the club to a 256-229 record and two AL West titles. However, they went 0-4 in the postseason under Espada.