MLB managers, managerial changes, rumors and candidates

This is a one-stop shop for the latest news and rumors surrounding potential manager/GM changes and candidates around MLB.

TEAMS WITH MANAGERIAL VACANCIES

Teams listed in order of their most recent update.

Previous manager: Rocco Baldelli

What happened: A season that began with playoff hopes gave way to a 70-win campaign — the franchise’s fewest in a non-shortened season since 2016 — and a Deadline sell-off. That led to the club dismissing Baldelli after seven seasons in charge.

Latest: According to Dan Hayes and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic (subscription required), the Twins have narrowed their managerial search to four candidates: Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, former Pirates manager Derek Shelton, former Mariners manager Scott Servais and Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty.

The Twins began holding interviews for the job last week, and sources told MLB.com that Rowson — as well as Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez — was granted permission to interview. Rowson served as Minnesota’s hitting coach from 2017-19. Royals third-base coach Vance Wilson, a former MLB catcher, is also a candidate for the job, a source told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman had previously noted the Twins’ interest in Servais, who had a 680-642 (.514) record in nine seasons with the Mariners before being dismissed during the 2024 season. Shelton, the bench coach on Minnesota’s 2018 and 2019 teams, took over as Pittsburgh’s skipper in 2020 before being dismissed in May. He owns a 306-440 (.410) record as a manager.

Other reported candidates are Torii Hunter, who currently works in the Angels front office, and Padres coach Nick Punto. Both have connections to the Twins: Hunter was a fan favorite in Minnesota who played 12 seasons and won seven Gold Gloves with the franchise, while Punto was a Twins infielder from 2004-10. (Oct. 24)

Previous manager: Mike Shildt

What happened: The Padres announced on Oct. 13 that Shildt was retiring from his position as the teamâ€s manager. The Padres went 183-141 in his two years at the helm in San Diego, making the postseason in both seasons, but they lost to the Dodgers in the 2024 NLDS and the Cubs in the â€25 NL Wild Card Series. He still had two years left on the contract extension he signed in November 2024.

Latest: Albert Pujols has drawn interest from the team to be the next skipper, according to multiple reports, including from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman in an article for the New York Post (subscription required). Heyman previously reported that bench coach Ryan Flaherty “is a favorite” for the job. Flaherty was in consideration for the role before the club hired Shildt two years ago. Per Heyman, Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley is another external candidate. Internal possibilities include A.J. Ellis, a former catcher and current special assistant to general manager A.J. Preller, bench coach Brian Esposito, pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and Mark Loretta, a former Padres infielder who is a special assistant to team CEO Erik Greupner. (Oct. 22).

Previous manager: Brandon Hyde (Tony Mansolino interim)

What happened: Amid a 15-28 start to the ’25 season, the Orioles relieved Hyde of his duties after he managed the team for parts of seven seasons, overseeing a drastic rebuild. Mansolino — the team’s third-base coach since 2021 — guided Baltimore to a 60-59 record the rest of the season as the interim skipper.

Latest: Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty is believed to be “among the favorites” for the job, reports MLB Network insider Jon Heyman in an article for the New York Post (subscription required), but Baltimore has not ruled out a return for Mansolino. The Orioles have also expressed interest in likely future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols to become their next manager, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. They are also interested in former Mariners manager Scott Servais, per Heyman. (Oct. 20)

Previous manager: Brian Snitker

What happened: Snitker informed the Braves that he was not pursuing a new contract to extend his managerial career into the 2026 season. He will step into an advisory role with the team. Next year will mark his 50th straight season with the organization. During Snitkerâ€s managerial tenure, the club made seven straight playoff appearances from 2018-24 — including six consecutive division titles — and won a World Series championship in â€21. The Braves have had only three managers since 1991: Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, Fredi Gonzalez and Snitker.

Latest: David Ross, Mark DeRosa, Walt Weiss and Eddie Perez are among the former Braves players who have interest in the vacancy, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. But thereâ€s a chance Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will choose a manager without any previous ties to the organization. (Oct. 8)

Previous manager: Bud Black (Warren Schaeffer interim)

What happened: After starting the year 7-33 — one of the worst 40-game starts in Major League history — the Rockies opted to move on from Black, a veteran skipper in his ninth season as the team’s manager. With third base coach Warren Schaeffer serving as the interim manager, Colorado went 36-86 across their final 122 games.

Previous manager: Dave Martinez (Miguel Cairo interim)

What happened: With the Nationals in the midst of their sixth straight losing season following their World Series title in 2019, the club parted ways with Martinez, as well as former general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, on July 6. Cairo led the Nats to a 29-43 record as the interim skipper.

Latest: The Nationals have hired Paul Toboni, who most recently had served as the Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager, to run their baseball operations. Among Toboniâ€s first orders of business with the Nationals? Deciding on the club’s next manager. Toboni described previous Major League managerial experience as “one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything.†(Oct. 1)

TEAMS WITH LEAD BASEBALL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE VACANCIES

Previous GM: Bill Schmidt

What happened: Schmidt stepped down from his role as Rockies general manager on Oct. 1, following a season in which the Rockies lost 119 games — tied for the third most in the Modern Era (since 1900). Previously the teamâ€s vice president of scouting, Schmidt took over as Coloradoâ€s GM on an interim basis after Jeff Bridich resigned during the 2021 campaign. He was officially named GM on Oct. 2 of that year. The Rockies lost at least 94 games in each of Schmidtâ€s four full seasons at the helm, including the first three 100-loss seasons in franchise history from 2023-25. Executive Vice President Walker Monfort said in a statement that the Rockies are “setting our sights on finding the right leader from outside our organization who can bring a fresh perspective to the Rockies and enhance our baseball operations with a new vision, innovation and a focus on both short- and long-term success.”

Whomever gets this job will be tasked with steering the club through a rebuild that has no end in sight. Building a sustainable winner in Colorado has proven to be a difficult endeavor — the Rockies have made just five postseason appearances in 33 seasons, all as a Wild Card team, and own the third-worst winning percentage (.456) in baseball since their inaugural campaign in 1993. Coloradoâ€s thin air has made it especially challenging to find reliable pitching — the franchise has an MLB-worst 5.05 ERA in that same timeframe. The team has endured seven straight losing seasons since its last playoff berth in 2018.

Latest: The Rockies are narrowing their list for who will be their next head of baseball operations. D-backs assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye and Guardians assistant general manager Matt Forman are two of the finalists for the job, according to a report from The Athletic (subscription required). It’s unknown if other finalists exist. The Athletic previously reported that the club held interviews with Forman as well as Royals assistant general manager Scott Sharp and Blue Jays vice president of baseball strategy (and former Astros GM) James Click. But Sharp and Click are no longer being considered, per this latest report. (Oct. 22)

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