It’s firing season. Might as well call it what it is. When the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night sacked a championship-winning manager just a month into the schedule, it must have sent a shiver through every embattled skipper.
Of course, teams don’t like to say they fire people. On Sunday in Baltimore, the day after ousting manager Alex Cora and six of his coaches, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spun the news harder than he ever spun a curveball.
“This is a decisive and convicted demonstration of the confidence we have in our player group,” Breslow said.
The Red Sox aren’t the only big-market player group struggling to meet high expectations. The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Houston Astros have all started dreadfully. A similar decisive, convicted demonstration of confidence by their front offices would hardly be surprising.
Sometimes, an early shakeup works. In 2003, Jack McKeon took over the Florida Marlins after 38 games and led them to a title. Four years ago, the Phillies installed Rob Thomson after 51 games and went on to a pennant. Those replacements — like Boston’s interim boss Chad Tracy, who was promoted from Triple-A Worcester – were already in the organization.
That’s the first place most teams look in-season for replacements. The people who get these jobs tend to be those who are philosophically aligned with the general manager, often special assistant-types with a playing background but little managing experience. If you’re a maverick with an established way of doing things, you may be out of luck.
We surveyed our staff and people in the game for managerial candidates to watch in the next cycle — either now, or when full-time jobs come open after the season. This is not a comprehensive list, but a logical place to start.
Another chance
These candidates have previous major-league managing experience and understand the modern demands: a cooperative mindset with the front office, strong communication skills with players, an open mind to analytics and comfort with the role of spokesperson for the organization.
Rocco Baldelli, who’s currently a special assistant with the Dodgers, managed the Twins for seven seasons. (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
Alex Cora: He’s new to the unemployment ranks, but won’t have to stay there long. In Boston, Cora won a championship under Dave Dombrowski, now the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, and guided two other Red Sox teams to the playoffs.
Rocco Baldelli: A former Manager of the Year award winner, Baldelli, 44, took the Twins to three postseason berths while interacting smoothly with the front office, the players and the media.
David Ross: A former catcher — which always helps — Ross was a popular teammate for two World Series winners and helped the Cubs improve in each of his full three seasons as manager, until management jumped at Craig Counsell.
Brandon Hyde: Weathered a rebuild in Baltimore to win American League Manager of the Year in 2023. But the Orioles went backwards after that and were swept in the playoffs twice.
Others to watch: David Bell, Phil Nevin, Luis Rojas, Scott Servais, Mike Shildt, Chris Woodward
Top prospects
This is easily the thickest file in the cabinet. Talent evaluation is part of every GM’s job, and most seem to enjoy applying that skill to the manager’s chair, too. All of these candidates are highly respected but have not yet managed in the big leagues, qualities that often make for an ideal partnership with a like-minded GM.
Omar López, bench coach for the Astros, guided Venezuela to its first WBC title. (Gene Wang / Getty Images)
George Lombard: Highly regarded with an extensive resume in player development and major-league coaching, mostly with the Red Sox, the Dodgers and, currently, the Tigers, as A.J. Hinch’s bench coach. Also coached for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Omar López: Led Team Venezuela to the WBC championship in March and has spent decades in the Astros organization, with success as a manager in the minors and coach in the majors.
Walker McKinven: Teams envy the Brewers, and McKinven played a vital behind-the-scenes role in devising and implementing their strategies before becoming bench coach for the White Sox last season.
Morgan Ensberg: A strong communicator and sharp baseball mind, Ensberg has managed in the minors for progressive organizations (Houston and Tampa Bay) and also managed winter ball in Venezuela. He’s currently leading the Triple-A Durham Bulls for the Rays.
Daniel Descalso: A valuable role player for a decade in the majors, Descalso is just 39 years old — a plus — and has coached for the Cardinals the last three seasons after working as a front office assistant for the Diamondbacks in 2023.
Others to watch: Spencer Allen, Curt Casali, Kai Correa, Shelley Duncan, A.J. Ellis, Ryan Flaherty, Gilbert Gomez, LaTroy Hawkins, Nick Hundley, Jay Johnson (LSU coach), Danny Lehmann, Martín Maldonado, Jake McKinley, Mike Napoli, James Rowson, Carson Vitale, Dusty Wathan.
Superstars
Carlos Beltrán, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, currently works for the Mets in an advisory role. (Gordon Donovan / NurPhoto via AP)
They made a fortune on the field, and if they don’t have a plaque in Cooperstown yet, it’s only a matter of time. But they’ve already shown that they’re interested in managing — to some degree, anyway — and they’d certainly command a clubhouse.
Carlos Beltrán: He was hired to manage the Mets after the 2019 season, and fired before spring training due to his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. But that was before Steve Cohen bought the team, and Beltrán is now firmly back in the Mets family.
Yadier Molina: The Cardinals have hired their former catchers before (Joe Torre, Mike Matheny), but Oli Marmol seems safe, and baseball operations president Chaim Bloom has no prior connection with Molina. Then again, Molina’s baseball intellect would appeal to any team, and he managed Puerto Rico in the WBC.
Albert Pujols: Pujols has stayed closely connected to the sport since retiring in 2022, and managed the Dominican Republic in the WBC. He seems to relish the challenge of translating his knowledge of the game and leadership skills to the dugout.