A.J. Hinch replacements Tigers must consider amid dreadful season

Unfortunately for Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, it appears he’s bound for the hot seat. Injuries and regression have ravaged the Tigers all season, and they’ll enter June well under .500. Detroit is on pace for its first 100-loss season since 2019, and Hinch is likely to pay the price.

The Tigers field one of the league’s worst offenses, and they just capped off a 6–22 or 7–21 May. At this point, you’re just waiting to see if Hinch even makes it to the All-Star Break.

If and when the Tigers fire Hinch, they’ll join the Red Sox and Phillies as teams with openings. For this list, we’re ranking all candidates alphabetically, save our honorable mention — and it’s a man whom Tigers fans would likely love to see back in uniform.

Honorable mention: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers special assistant

Much like Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina with the Cardinals, we’re essentially obligated to list Cabrera here. That’s despite the fact that teams very rarely hire their living legends as managers anymore.

Cabrera has no managerial experience, though he served as Venezuela's hitting coach in the World Baseball Classic. He’d obviously be a fascinating choice, and he remains beloved in Detroit even as injuries and age took their toll.

The odds of this happening are as likely as Tarik Skubal signing a three-year deal with the Rockies, but it’s nonetheless fun to consider.

Alex Cora, former Boston Red Sox manager

Assuming that Cora wants to manage next year, we imagine that he’ll be back in uniform somewhere, especially if teams primarily pin the Red Sox’s dismal 2026 season on Craig Breslow.

I’m typically against teams forcing a retread hire, especially if they’re on the verge of potentially rebuilding. However, those strong feelings usually only apply to older managers like Joe Maddon or Ron Washington.

Cora turns 51 in October, and as harsh as it might sound, age should matter here. The question just becomes how much of the Red Sox’s decline truly falls on Cora.

Antoan Richardson, Atlanta Braves first base coach

This is admittedly perhaps the strangest choice on our list, but hear us out.

Richardson has earned rave reviews for the job he’s done with both the Mets and Braves, to the point where Mets fans were livid the team didn’t retain him this past offseason. Very rarely does a first base coach’s departure incite that kind of wrath on social media.

Every team seemingly meets with a surprise candidate, the assistant coach whose name might escape even the most obsessed MLB Network viewers. Given the Braves’ early success, we won’t be too caught off guard if Richardson lands an interview this offseason.

Luis Rojas, New York Yankees third base coach

Somewhere out there, there are Mets fans who would likely rather have Rojas back in the dugout instead of Carlos Mendoza. The next time you see someone in their throwback Mike Piazza jersey, make sure to give them a hug. Mets fans need all the love they can get right now.

Rojas didn’t exactly turn heads in his two years leading the Mets, and the Yankees dealt with some terrible baserunning issues under Rojas’ watch last year. Still, he’s a Yankees assistant, and that tends to at least get you an interview.

Ryan Flaherty, Chicago Cubs bench coach

At this time last year, speculation was quickly mounting that Flaherty, a former MLB utility man, would return to the Orioles and become the club’s next manager. Flaherty had played for the Orioles, and his stock was skyrocketing as Craig Counsell’s second-in-command.

As it turns out, Flaherty didn’t even interview with the Orioles. Despite the Cubs’ recent woes, Flaherty — who turns 40 in July — deserves a call this offseason. He’s young, he’s experienced rebuilds and playoff contenders, and he’s far more appealing than the usual retreads.

Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland Guardians bench coach

Alomar Jr. was considered a trendy managerial option and had several interviews in the early 2010s. However, Alomar later admitted he believed those were “token” interviews to satisfy the requirement that MLB teams meet with at least one minority candidate.

Cleveland went 28–18 under Alomar’s watch in 2020, while he filled in for Terry Francona following the latter’s heart surgery. Although the wins are credited to Francona, Alomar was widely applauded for how he handled the shortened COVID season.

Alomar turns 60 on June 18, so he’d immediately become one of the sport’s oldest managers. But he’s due for an opportunity, especially with how consistently competitive the Guardians have been in recent years despite their budget and market size.

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