Mariners interview Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler for managerial vacancy

Seattle is holding in-person interviews this week with two candidates for its vacant manager role, former Astros manager Joe Espada and Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler, according to multiple sources familiar with the club's plans.

Both candidates will meet with ownership, front-office officials and retained members of the coaching staff at T-Mobile Park, with some organization members traveling to Seattle specifically for the interviews. The meetings represent the third round of interviews for each, following earlier virtual sessions, and will be the first to include the Major League coaching staff.

A third interview had been scheduled with former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, but he withdrew for family reasons, a source confirmed, echoing an earlier report.

The Mariners also spoke with White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven, who is no longer being considered, and previously discussed former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who is also out of the running.

Espada, 51, spent the past three seasons managing the Houston Astros after six years as their bench coach. Kanzler, 36, has led the Cubs' farm system for three years and previously worked for five seasons in the Astros organization, rising from a low-minor hitting coach to a major-league hitting coach, though he has no prior managerial experience.

"Prior managing experience at the Major League level is not a prerequisite, but it would be preferred," said Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners' president of baseball operations.

Dipoto noted that his first two hires, Scott Servais and Dan Wilson, were unorthodox selections without prior managing experience. The club dismissed manager Scott Wilson at the end of the regular season and has been searching for a replacement for nearly a month, with no set timeline for concluding the process.