Stephen Vogt isn't Mariners' only manager option to recapture lost magic

In keeping with the disappointing theme of 2026 for the Mariners, any chance of hiring Torey Lovullo to replace Dan Wilson as manager lasted about two minutes. (Give or take a few days.) And the reality is a reunion with two-time AL manager of the Year Stephen Vogt is likely the longest of long shots. However, there is perhaps another person with a link to the organization who the M's should now focus on as a realistic target, in Kristopher Negrón.

Along with Lovullo and Vogt, Negrón was another one of the five names Adam Jude of The Seattle Times listed as a possible replacement for Wilson. The 40-year-old has deep ties to the Mariners organization in a variety of positions, including as a player and a coach. Although there is the question of Jerry Dipoto's comments during his press conference on Monday, about preferring to bring in someone with managerial experience at the Major League level.

Well, it's important to note Dipoto said this was a preference rather than a mandate. Further, the Mariners' hand could be forced, if they are just unable to find or agree terms with someone who has big league experience as a manager. Lets also consider that the M's apparently only pay managers a little over $1 million per year, which is far below what the likes of Lovuollo and Vogt get paid annually.

In fairness, there's a lot to like about the idea of the Mariners pursuing Negrón and bringing him back to the Pacific Northwest. He has an extensive background with the core players on the Mariners roster, which would be invaluable from a trust and rapport perspective. Who can forget the sight of his enthusiastic celebrations with the likes of Cal Raleigh when they had big hits, during his time as first base and third base coach between 2022-25?

In many ways Kristopher Negrón represents the best kind of compromise for Jerry Dipoto

It helps that Negrón has a mindset rooted in instruction. This is also invaluable, given Dipoto's comments on Monday about multiple players who came through the farm system saying what they learned in player development was abandoned this year in the majors. The president of baseball operations stressed the need to get back to what he believes is the Mariners' baseball process, which is where Negrón can help.

Even if we come back to Negrón's lack of big league managerial experience, he did at least manage in Tacoma during the 2021 season as part of his player development background. He did a pretty damn good job as well, leading the Rainiers to the Triple-A West division title with a 78-52 record and being named Triple-A West manager of the year. And for what it's worth he filled in as Mariners manager for one game in 20222 when Scott Servais was unavailable due to COVID-19, and led the team to a win versus the Rangers.

One last thing to consider is Dipoto citing the need for fresh thought from outside the organization, whether it be a shift in programming, messaging, language or whatever. In this respect, Negrón just spent a successful 2026 season with the Pirates as the bench coach and helped them to their first winning season since 2018. As per Emma Lingan of Rum Bunter, the New Jersey native has proven to be very popular in Pittsburgh, and the sense is losing him would be a big blow to the organization.

Ultimately, it's imperative Dipoto gets it right with his next managerial hire, which is why he's seemingly so open to bringing in someone with big league experience at the position. At the same time, ESPN's Jeff Passan claims the Mariners don't have any problem with another first-time manager, as long as he fits in with what they want the culture to be. Throw in Dipoto's ego/liking for control, and you can make the case that Negrón represents the ideal compromise.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow