MLB November 6, 2025 0 Comments

MLB Manager Moves Heat Up: Surprising Hires and Shocking Promotions Shake Up the League

Last season saw barely a ripple in the managerial waters of Major League Baseball, with just three teams—the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, and Chicago White Sox—making the bold move to switch their advisors in the dugout. Fast forward to this offseason, and boy, has the landscape shifted dramatically! A whirlwind of activity has swept through the league’s dugouts as a slew of clubs race to find their next field generals. While most squads like the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, and Atlanta Braves have secured their helmsmen for the coming campaign, a handful still remain on the prowl.

Keeping a sharp eye on these developments, Yahoo Sports is your go-to for the latest dispatches on who’s stepping up to steer the teams through the trials and triumphs of another baseball season. Whether it’s new blood or seasoned veterans taking the reins, the managerial shuffle is as compelling as a ninth-inning showdown. Dive into our ongoing coverage and stay ahead of the curve on every strategic hire and departure shaping the future of MLB. LEARN MORE

Last year, only three MLB teams made managerial changes: the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox.

This offseason, there has been a flurry of movement at the skipper position. Just a few teams are still searching for their next manager, with the Rangers, Angels, Giants, Orioles, Nationals, Twins and Braves having already filled roles this offseason.

Yahoo Sports is keeping tabs on who will be turning in lineup cards next season. We’re tracking the latest news about managerial openings and candidates below:

Philadelphia Phillies

There will be no opening in Philadelphia, as Rob Thomson will reportedly return next season, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.

Thomson has been in charge since 2022 and led the Phillies to the playoffs in each of his four seasons. After reaching the World Series in 2022, Philadelphia lost in the NLCS the following season. The past two years, they’ve not advanced out of the NLDS, losing to the New York Mets and Dodgers, both times in four games.

Colorado Rockies (still have to decide on interim manager)

The Colorado Rockies started the season 7-33 and fired Bud Black in May. After that, Warren Schaeffer got the bump from third-base coach to interim manager. With Schaeffer leading the way, the Rockies went 36-86.

Of Colorado’s seven pitchers with at least 10 starts this season, only one had an ERA below 6.33. But perhaps even more alarming were the 3.69 runs per game the team scored, the second-fewest of any major-league team despite their famously hitter-friendly ballpark.

The latest:

First things first: The Rockies need a new executive. General manager Bill Schmidt stepped down after Colorado’s worst season in franchise history. The Rockies occupied the cellar of the NL West in each of the four seasons since Schmidt took over as GM. Colorado is searching for its next head of baseball operations. Then it will have to decide if it wants to keep Schaeffer or pick someone else to be the full-time manager.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Interim manager Warren Schaeffer #34 of the Colorado Rockies looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 13, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) — Will interim manager Warren Schaeffer earn the full-time gig for the Colorado Rockies? (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

(Orlando Ramirez via Getty Images)

Filled: San Diego Padres hire Craig Stammen

Latest news:

On Oct. 20, former MLB star Albert Pujols was reported as a possible candidate to take over for Mike Shildt, who retired a couple of weeks after San Diego was eliminated from the postseason. Despite the interview reportedly lasting nine and a half hours, the organization went in another direction,

Stammen was hired by San Diego as a special assistant in player development in January of 2024 following his retirement the previous year, and he continued to serve in that role through the 2025 season. Stammen spent the final six years of his career with the Padres as a reliever after seven years with the Washington Nationals.

Shildt was out as manager on Oct. 13. He informed the team that he would be retiring in an effort to “take care of myself and exit on my terms,” he shared in a letter to the Union-Tribune.

The news followed a 90-72 season in which the Padres finished second in the NL West and lost to the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card round. Shildt spent two years with the team, reaching the playoffs both seasons and accumulating a 183-141 record.

The Atlanta Braves’ seven-year playoff streak ended this year, and after 10 seasons in charge, Brian Snitker told the organization that he won’t return as manager in 2026. Snitker, who is staying on with the club as a senior advisor, led the Braves to a World Series title in 2021 and 100-plus-win seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Now, Atlanta is hiring Walt Weiss as the team’s new manager. Weiss had been the Braves’ bench coach since 2018.

Weiss, a former shortstop, also spent three seasons with Atlanta as a player, finishing his career there.

He managed the Colorado Rockies from 2013 to 2016 before joining the Braves’ organization.

From the experts at Yahoo Sports

Padres reportedly hire former reliever Craig Stammen as next manager

Filled: Washington Nationals hire Blake Butera

The Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019. They’ve had six consecutive losing seasons since. They’ve won 66 or fewer games in three of the past five years. Washington split with manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in early July. Bench coach Miguel Cairo was promoted to interim manager, and he led the team to a 29-43 record.

Latest news:

Blake Butera, a 33-year-old who has worked in the Rays’ organization for the past decade, is the choice. Butera served in numerous roles with the Rays, from player to coach to manager to minor-league field coordinator, before becoming senior director of player development in October 2023.

As far as managing experience goes, Butera led the New York-Penn League’s Hudson Valley Renegades for two seasons before guiding Low-A Charleston to a league title in two seasons with the Riverdogs. He compiled a 258-144 record, and his teams finished in first place four times.

Filled: Minnesota Twins hire Derek Shelton

Rocco Baldelli’s seven-season stretch with the Minnesota Twins ended with a 70-win campaign, which featured a sell-off at the trade deadline. Minnesota won three AL Central titles under Baldelli, who was a first-time manager when he got the job in 2019. But back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance did him in as the organization searches for new leadership while its ownership group, led by brothers Jim, Bill and Bob Pohlad, retains controlling ownership of the franchise.

Latest news:

Before Derek Shelton spent five-plus seasons as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager, he was the Twins’ bench coach in 2018 and 2019. Now Shelton’s managerial career will continue in the Twin Cities, where he’s being hired as Minnesota’s next skipper, the team announced. Shelton went 306-440 with the Pirates. He was fired after Pittsburgh slipped into a seven-game skid and a 12-26 start early this season. That said, Shelton’s first few seasons at the helm were part of a franchise-wide reset that included swapping known big-league talent for new prospects. Shelton will get another shot at managing a rebuild with the Twins, who traded away one-third of their active roster at the deadline.

Filled: Baltimore Orioles hire Craig Albernaz

Following a 15-28 start to the season, the Orioles let go of Brandon Hyde, who was in his seventh season as manager after piloting the club to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2023 and ’24. Third-base coach Tony Mansolino took over as interim manager and posted a winning record in that role, going 60-59 as the Orioles finished 75-87 and last in an AL East that sent three teams to the playoffs.

Latest news:

The Orioles opted to hire Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz to replace Brandon Hyde. Albernaz has spent the past two seasons on staff in Cleveland, and he also spent time with the San Francisco Giants. While this will be his first head manager job in baseball, Albernaz was undoubtedly one of the top names available this cycle.

Filled: San Francisco Giants hire Tony Vitello

Although the Giants picked up Bob Melvin’s option for the 2026 season in July, they ended up firing him anyway. The Giants went a combined 161-163 in Melvin’s two seasons at the helm. Team president of baseball operations Buster Posey said the Giants didn’t perform up to their standard while finishing third in the NL West this year.

Latest news:

The Giants reportedly hired Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello to become the club’s new manager on Oct. 22. Vitello, a 47-year-old coach who led the Volunteers to the 2024 College World Series, has no major-league coaching experience, but he is a splashy signing for an exceedingly average team. He will be the first college coach to make the jump to MLB manager without any professional coaching experience.

Filled: Los Angeles Angels hire Kurt Suzuki

The Los Angeles Angels parted ways with not only manager Ron Washington but also interim manager Ray Montgomery. On June 27, the 73-year-old Washington went on medical leave. He later explained that he had undergone quadruple bypass surgery on his heart. The Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 and have finished fourth or fifth in the AL West in eight of the past 10 seasons.

Latest news:

After flirting with Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter, the Angels tabbed another former player. Former catcher Kurt Suzuki will replace Washington as the team’s manager next season.

Suzuki was a bit of a dark-horse candidate for the role, with Pujols receiving the most publicity of anyone who interviewed for the job. While early reports suggested Pujols was Angels owner Arte Moreno’s top choice, talks with the slugger fell through, and Pujols was reportedly out of the running by late October. A day later, Hunter was no longer a candidate. Hours after that report, Suzuki was reported as the team’s next skipper.

Suzuki joins the Angels after a 16-year MLB career. He spent time with five teams during his MLB tenure, playing his final two seasons with the Angels. Suzuki was a member of the 2019 Washington Nationals, who defeated the Houston Astros to win the World Series. He’s also a one-time All-Star.

Filled: Texas Rangers hire Skip Schumaker

The Texas Rangers moved on from Bruce Bochy, who led the organization to its first World Series title in 2023 after earning three rings with the San Francisco Giants earlier in his career. In the two seasons since its championship run, however, Texas missed the playoffs. Bochy and the Rangers mutually parted ways, according to the team’s statement.

Latest news:

Texas focused its search on former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker from the start, and that became official Oct. 3. Schumaker earned NL Manager of the Year honors in 2023 when the Marlins returned to the postseason for just the fourth time in franchise history. Schumaker’s two-season stint with the Marlins came to an end when he resigned after an injury-riddled 2024 campaign. He spent the 2025 season with the Rangers as a special advisor.