Seattle Mariners Managerial Search: Two Outside the Box Candidates For Team

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Seattle Mariners Managerial Search: Two Outside the Box Candidates For Team

Brady Farkas · Roundtable Sports

Thu, Oct 8, 2026 ·

3 min read

Albert Pujols

One of the best hitters of all-time, Pujols spent 22 years in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals , Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. A surefire Hall of Famer when he's first eligible, Pujols hit .296 lifetime with 703 home runs and 2,218 RBIs. A three-time MVP, he was also an 11-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger, a two-time Gold Glover, a batting champion and a Clemente Award winner.

His coaching resume includes leading Escogido to a 2024-25 Dominican Winter League championship, and he also managed the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He interviewed for the Angels managerial job last season and was named the President of Baseball Operations for Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League in April.

It's unclear if he'd want to leave that position so quickly after taking it, but it is worth a conversation.

The biggest drawback is that he doesn't have coaching experience in the big leagues itself, but he has managed before, in pressurized situations. And through his work with the Dominican team, he has a relationship with Julio Rodriguez. And getting a manager who can connect with Rodriguez just might be the biggest thing for this team moving forward.

Of course, Pujols made more than $346 million in his career. We know the Mariners are a low-paying organization when it comes to managers. Would they be able to afford him if the two sides actually do want to work together?

It also can't be ignored that Jerry Dipoto and Pujols have a history. Dipoto helped sign Pujols to a mega-deal with the Angels, but Dipoto's tenure there ended on a sour note, with Pujols reportedly against Dipoto's beliefs about how the team should have been run. While maybe the past can be buried more than a decade later, perhaps that history is something working against the Mariners.

Again, I'd at least entertain the idea.

Yadier Molina

Now 44 years old, Molina is one of the best catchers in baseball history. A longtime member of the Cardinals, Molina was a 10-time All-Star, a nine-time Gold Glover, a four-time Platinum Glove winner and a two-time World Series champion.

Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina watches his team play the Chicago Cubs in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Though he doesn't have a full-time big-league coaching job on his resume either, he's already managed in the Venezuelan Winter League, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Winter League. He's also served as the manager for Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic twice.

Being the manager of a WBC team comes with pressure, and Molina is well respected in those circles. He's currently working in an advisory role with the Cardinals and he has been in the dugout on select occasions, so he's not completely foreign to a big-league coaching situation.

As a former catcher, he can connect with Cal Raleigh, which is important as well, considering he's one of the most important players on the roster. And perhaps he could have a good influence on Rodriguez too. And while not as big a deal, he has a relationship with Brendan Donovan from their time in St. Louis.

Albert Pujols

Yadier Molina

Of note