A quiet 2024 on the managerial front predictably gave way to a much busier 2025, with the first major moves coming as early as May.<\/p>\n
Three managers were fired in a span of 10 days in May, with Pittsburgh’s <\/a>Derek Shelton, Colorado’s<\/a> Bud Black and Baltimore’s <\/a>Brandon Hyde taking the fall. The Nationals<\/a> made it four when they fired manager Dave Martinez along with GM Mike Rizzo in early July.<\/p>\n At the end of the season, five more teams followed suit with either a firing, a parting of ways or simply a retirement. Atlanta’s<\/a> Brian Snitker, Texas’ <\/a>Bruce Bochy, San Francisco’s<\/a> Bob Melvin, Minnesota’s<\/a> Rocco Baldelli and the Angels<\/a>‘ Ron Washington all saw their tenures end in the days following Game 162.<\/p>\n With nine managerial changes, the shake-up included three World Series-winning managers and two others who won division titles just two seasons ago.<\/p>\n Two vacancies were quickly filled: the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> retained interim manager Don Kelly, while the Texas Rangers<\/a> bypassed a search and promoted former Miami Marlins<\/a> manager Skip Schumaker, who had been serving as an organizational advisor.<\/p>\n Seven teams are now launching managerial searches ahead of the 2026 season. Here\u2019s a look at each, ranked from the most attractive situation to the least.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Ranking the 22 best players in 2025 MLB postseason<\/a><\/p>\n MLB manager openings 20251. Giants<\/p>\n The San Francisco Giants<\/a> offer a manager nearly everything he could want: great weather, ownership willing to spend to win, and a young executive unafraid to be aggressive.<\/p>\n The team has made a major change each of the last three offseasons, firing two managers and one head of baseball operations. While this comes with the territory of high expectations and a substantial payroll, there\u2019s little reason to think the next Giants manager will face a quick exit. Bob Melvin wasn\u2019t hired by team president Buster Posey, who now has full control of the organization. The next manager will be hand-picked by Posey, who likely comes with a long leash from the team that watched him grow up in the organization.<\/p>\n Competing in the same division as the Dodgers is a challenge, but the Giants are well-positioned to contend in 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n 2. Braves<\/p>\n The Atlanta Braves<\/a> fell short of expectations in 2025, but a strong September run nearly convinced Brian Snitker to return for another season in 2026.<\/p>\n With Snitker retired, the next Braves manager will inherit a roster primed for immediate success. Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and potentially Michael Harris II form a potent offensive core, while a healthier starting rotation, supplemented with some outside help, could quickly solve the patchwork issues that plagued the staff in 2025.<\/p>\n Atlanta\u2019s front office is known for quietly locking up talented young players early in their careers, a strategy that sustained success for seven years before the struggles of 2025. With a fresh voice at the helm, the Braves could be poised for a postseason run in year one.<\/p>\n MORE: Ranking the best candidates to replace Brian Snitker<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Orioles<\/p>\n The jury is still out on new owner David Rubenstein, who was expected to inject the organization with cash but hasn\u2019t spent much beyond a quick extension for top prospect Samuel Basallo this past season. GM Mike Elias, however, has a proven eye for young talent, and the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> have generally done well developing that talent, even if some players have progressed more slowly than others.<\/p>\n The next Orioles manager is likely to have a fairly long leash when it comes to player development, though postseason success may not be the immediate standard in 2026. If ownership begins investing in the roster and blends outside additions with Elias\u2019 young talent, Baltimore has the potential to build something special\u2014even if it doesn\u2019t resemble the team of 2023.<\/p>\n 4. Nationals<\/p>\n The arrow was pointing up for the Washington Nationals<\/a> at the start of 2025 — until it wasn\u2019t. The franchise took a step back, with a pitching staff that fell apart and limited production from hitters outside of James Wood and CJ Abrams, both of whom struggled in the second half. The situation worsened when top pitching prospect Travis Sykora required Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for most of 2026.<\/p>\n The positive: the organization still has intriguing young talent, including 2025 draft picks, and seems to have the right leadership in the front office. New team president Paul Toboni, highly regarded and with a strong scouting background from the Boston Red Sox<\/a>, has said he received assurances from ownership that they will invest in the roster.<\/p>\n The Nationals\u2019 next manager will be relying on at least some of those promises coming true, but both Toboni and the manager are expected to have a long leash to see this next stage of the rebuild through.<\/p>\n MORE: Guide to MLB postseason extra inning rules<\/a><\/p>\n 5. Angels<\/p>\n The next Los Angeles Angels<\/a> manager knows owner Arte Moreno is willing to spend money aggressively, which is a positive. The two issues, however, are that the money has consistently been spent in all of the wrong ways, and GM Perry Minasian could very well be out of a job with another dismal season, which could put the manager in an awkward spot just a year into the role.<\/p>\n The Angels have some offensive pieces to build around and have a path to playing competitive baseball in 2026, but until their pitching development issues are fixed, it might be hard for anyone in this role to win.<\/p>\n Reports indicate the legendary Albert Pujols is the favorite for the job, and as a favorite of Moreno, he might be the only candidate who can safely believe he will be given a long leash regardless of how long Minasian lasts.<\/p>\n 6. Rockies<\/p>\n