The start of another Major League Baseball season is just around the bend, making this the opportune time to get reacclimated with both the good and the bad of the industry. As the headline indicates, that includes figuring out which managers might already find themselves on the hot seat.
Let’s face it: managers getting fired is an inevitable part of the sport’s operation. They get the credit when their teams win, and in turn they also get the blame when their teams lose. That’s the trade-off that comes with having one of the most prestigious gigs in sports.
Below, I’ve highlighted four skippers who I feel are under the greatest scrutiny entering the new season. That doesn’t mean these individuals are certain to get removed from their posts before Opening Day 2026; it does, however, mean that their situations merit watching.
As always, keep in mind that these situations are liquid and things can change in a hurry. Now, let’s get to it.
The Blue Jays are a team on the precipice of a transformation. Franchise mainstays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette could both depart through free agency after this season, and they may not be alone in packing their bags. Schneider’s contract includes a club option for 2026 that seems unlikely to be exercised if the Blue Jays suffer through another lean season. For some perspective, consider that Schneider will enter this season with a career 52.5% winning percentage; his predecessor, Charlie Montoyo, had a 52.3% winning percentage during the season he was fired.
Washington, MLB’s oldest manager by several years, was always likely to be a short-term solution for the Angels. Here he is entering his second and final contracted season, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll hold the gig all the way through the year. Part of that is because the Angels again project to be a losing team — a .500 finish would be their first since 2015. Part of that is also because this franchise has burned through a lot of managers in short order. Washington is their fourth manager since the start of 2019. The odds seem in favor of them employing No. 5 by Opening Day 2026.
If you look at the various public-facing projection systems, there’s a real chance this Cardinals team manages a winning season. Still, I’m including Marmol because there are some forces working against him retaining this gig beyond 2025. He’s entering his penultimate contracted year, a fancy way of saying that he could achieve lame-duck status ahead of the 2026 season if he doesn’t earn an extension first. The catch is that the Cardinals are in the process of transitioning executive power over to Chaim Bloom, and it’s only fair to think he may want his own hire in place in the dugout. Who knows. I think that, of anyone else named here, Marmol has the greatest potential variability.
Black’s longevity is inexplicable and remarkable, the managerial equivalent of a naked mole rat. He’s now entering his 18th season at the helm despite winning fewer than 47% of his career games. Although it’s easier than ever to make the playoffs, he’s guided just two clubs to October (and none more recently than 2018). Placing the Rockies’ woes at Black’s feet would be misguided. At the same time, he’s enjoyed a level of job security (both in Colorado and San Diego) that’s typically reserved for the elite of the elite or, in a different day and age, part-owners. I’m including Black, but my guess is that he’ll get tired of managing the Rockies before they get tired of him.
Read the full article here
