Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several MLB managers face uncertain futures as their teams struggle to meet expectations this season
- Each manager's situation is evaluated based on team performance, front office decisions, and in-game leadership
- While some managers have clear ties to their team's struggles, others are caught in situations largely beyond their control
For better or for worse, managers are almost always the first to be blamed when things are going bad. The Boston Red Sox are proof of just that, as Alex Cora was fired over the weekend despite the fact that the team's mess clearly wasn't all on him. And as several other teams get off to slow starts around MLB this year, there's a good chance Cora won't be the only manager fired this summer.
With that in mind, here's a look at the managers who are currently on the hot seat, ranked from the manager most to blame for his team's situation to the one who should survive.
5. Joe Espada, Houston Astros
I thought Joe Espada would've been fired first, and while that evidently wasn't the case, there's reason to believe he'll be next — and somewhat deservingly so. To be clear, it is not Espada's fault that the Houston Astros are 11-18; Dana Brown did not build a well-rounded team, and its flaws are showing, particularly on the pitching side. Injuries have marred Houston's staff, and the arms Espada has to turn to are simply not good enough.
With all of that being said, the Astros' situation is a rough one. The team is clearly on the downswing, and Espada has been right in the middle of that. He was hired to manage a team fresh off seven straight ALCS appearances. The results since that hiring have been a Wild Card Series sweep in 2024, missing the postseason entirely in 2025 and now what's looking like a disastrous record in 2026.
The Astros have only gotten worse under Espada, and while a lot of that blame is on Brown and ownership, Espada clearly hasn't gotten the most out of his players.
4. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
While Espada has lacked much of any success in a managerial role with Houston, Rob Thomson has tons of it with the Philadelphia Phillies. He's made the postseason in each of his four seasons at the helm, and even guided the team to the World Series in 2022 despite being an in-season replacement for Joe Girardi. With that being said, this league is all about what you've done lately, and in Thomson's case, it's not much.
Since making that pennant run in 2022, the Phillies have gotten progressively worse. They lost in the NLCS in 2023, then got bounced in the Division Series in both 2024 and 2025. Now, Philly is in the midst of its worst regular season in quite some time, holding a 9-19 record that's tied for the worst in the sport.
Thomson can only do so much with the cards he's dealt, but I could argue he should've been fired after a second straight NLDS exit. The Phillies made a mistake running it back, and would be wise to fire Thomson sooner rather than later. Who knows, maybe they'll catch lightning in a bottle with a midseason firing twice.
3. Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
The manager whose seat is probably hottest in terms of public perception is Carlos Mendoza of the New York Mets, and it isn't hard to see why. After leading the Mets to an unlikely NLCS berth in 2024, Mendoza's club collapsed in a major way to miss the postseason in 2025. They've now started 2026 at 9-19, tied with Philadelphia in MLB's cellar.
But while things have been bad, it's hard to see how any of this is Mendoza's fault. New York is dead last in runs scored and OPS, and they've scored two runs or fewer in 14 of their 28 games; half of the time, the Mets can't even get three runs across. Mendoza has tried to shake the lineup up repeatedly, but there's only so much he can do with the cards he's dealt, and David Stearns dealt him a brutal hand. Even in the rotation, Kodai Senga is a disaster, and Devin Williams probably won't be the closer for much longer.
You can argue that perhaps the Mets should've fired him after how 2025 ended, which is why he's only in the middle of this list, but I just don't see what a manager can do when his team cannot score runs. There's only so much that a manager can control.
2. Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants made a major splash last offseason when they hired Tony Vitello to be their manager straight from the University of Tennessee, with no MLB or MiLB coaching experience whatsoever. At the time, it felt as if this out-of-the-box decision could go very well or very poorly — and right now, it's looking like the latter.
The Giants enter Monday at 13-15, good for fourth place in the NL West. They've played a bit better lately, and even recently took a series from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it's unlikely this team actually makes the playoffs. Vitello wouldn't be the main reason for that, but he lands on the hot seat despite being just one year into his tenure because of how clunky things have been. From failed speeches to just weird pressers, it's felt like Vitello is out of place more often than not.
With all of that being said, he's in the first year of a three-year deal. The Giants had to have known growing pains were going to be part of the equation here. Barring a truly awful run or some more truly awful Vitello moments, it'll be hard to justify firing him in the middle of his first season.
1. Dan Wilson, Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners were heavy favorites to not only win the AL West, but to compete for a World Series title as well. Even after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals, though, Seattle is only 14-15, good for third place in the division and on the outside looking in when looking at the postseason standings. Wilson's Mariners getting off to a bad start, after his decision not to use Andres Munoz earlier in Game 7 of the ALCS in 2025, has some MLB fans putting him on the hot seat.
This feels a bit unnecessary, though. Not only has Wilson seen nothing but solid results in parts of three seasons managing the Mariners, but how is anything that's gone down this season his fault? Seattle is tied for 19th in runs scored, and the team's stars are to blame: Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor all have OPS figures under .700, while Brendan Donovan is currently on the IL. Maybe you can argue that Wilson should shuffle the lineup around, but ultimately, the blame falls on those established stars for simply not hitting.
The pressure is on Wilson to bring a competitive team to the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps if the Mariners' struggles bleed into August, a discussion can be had, but he's built too much rope after taking the Mariners as far as they've ever gone in 2025 to get fired anytime soon.
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