Being an MLB manager is a thankless job. You get all the blame if anything goes wrong, and none of the credit for any correct decisions. Just ask Mark DeRosa, who wasn't the reason Team USA lost in the World Baseball Classic final and yet has absorbed much of the blame. And it's not just fans; even their own teams go out of their way to blame skippers as well. I mean, there are nine new managers in 2026, showing how much turnover there can be in any given offseason and how much every front office is looking for a scapegoat.
With all of that being said, while the 2026 season has yet to begin, these six MLB managers are under a lot of pressure to win as many games as possible. Doing anything short of that could cost them their jobs.
Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
Carlos Mendoza honestly could've been fired this past offseason, given how the 2025 New York Mets' season unraveled. Despite having MLB's best record in mid-June, New York collapsed for three straight months, finishing the season out of the playoff picture entirely. An organization that added Juan Soto to a roster that made the NLCS a season prior somehow managing to fall short of October is bad enough, but doing so in the way they did, with how poorly they played for months, is even worse.
While it was a bad look for Mendoza for the Mets' season to end the way it did, it'd be naive to say it was all his fault. The team got virtually no production out of its starting rotation in the second half, and David Stearns had an atrocious trade deadline. There wasn't much Mendoza could've done.
Still, expectations are far too high for Mendoza to survive another postseason-less year. The Mets made wholesale changes in the offseason, expecting to get back to October. Whether it's deserved or not, someone will have to take the fall for another down year, and the manager is the easiest individual to blame.
Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
On one hand, Aaron Boone has objectively done a good job managing the New York Yankees. They've finished with a winning record in each of his eight seasons in the Bronx, and have made the postseason in seven of them. Boone has won 200 more regular season games than he's lost, which, objectively, is impressive. Unfortunately, winning regular season games is a relatively meaningless feat in the Bronx, and Boone's postseason track record isn't nearly as strong.
Boone's Yankees have gone 25-27 overall in October, and have won a total of one AL pennant in eight years. That pennant resulted in a quick five-game series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. This Yankees organization, which has a World Series-or-bust mentality every year, hasn't hoisted a Commissioner's Trophy since 2009.
Is this all Boone's fault? Of course not. Still, it'd be silly to say he's pushed every right button, and at a certain point, if you fail to achieve your ultimate goal for nearly a decade straight, someone is going to have to take the fall. And again, there's nobody easier to blame than the manager.
Kurt Suzuki, Los Angeles Angels
Kurt Suzuki absolutely should not be on this list, but thanks to his contract, we have no choice but to include him. The Los Angeles Angels gave him a one-year deal to be their manager this offseason. He has one year to prove himself, or else there's a good chance he'll be replaced. Given the state of this roster, Suzuki could be in for a short stint in Anaheim.
As much as I'd like to see the Angels put together even a winning season for the first time since 2015, I have little faith in that happening. There's a good chance Arte Moreno will get fed up with Perry Minasian if 2026 turns out to be a lost year, and if Minasian goes, fair or not, Suzuki almost certainly will too.
Joe Espada, Houston Astros
I think Joe Espada did a great job last season in nearly guiding a very flawed and far-from-healthy Houston Astros team to the postseason, but ultimately, he fell short of expectations. And if he does so again, does he get to manage another year?
Espada's managerial tenure in Houston has seen his team get upset in the Wild Card Series in 2024 and miss the postseason entirely in 2025. For an Astros team that, prior to Espada's promotion, had made a whopping seven straight ALCS appearances, failing to get to that round in three straight years (whether it's Espada's fault or not) could cost him his job.
Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Torey Lovullo guided the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series in 2023, so, in theory, he should have some rope. But ultimately, his team has made the postseason just twice in his nine seasons as the skipper, and has missed out on October in each of the two years since making it to the Fall Classic.
This isn't all Lovullo's fault. The Diamondbacks won 89 games in 2024 and missed out on the postseason only due to falling on the losing end of a tiebreaker. They had a down year in 2025, but injuries, a lack of pitching and a trade deadline sell-off made his life difficult.
With all of that being said, the Diamondbacks are clearly trying to win now. They held off on trading Ketel Marte, acquired Nolan Arenado and signed both Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in free agency. I question whether they have the roster, particularly on the pitching side, to keep pace in the NL West, but that's the goal. If they fall short, there's a good chance Arizona will decide Lovullo has had enough bites at the apple and search for a new manager.
Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
Rob Thomson is in the Aaron Boone boat. He's had a ton of regular-season success, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to the postseason in each of his four seasons and winning back-to-back NL East titles. The Phillies even made it to the World Series in Thomson's first year with the club. With that being said, they lost that Fall Classic, blew a lead in the 2023 NLCS and haven't won a postseason series since despite some dominant regular seasons.
It isn't Thomson's fault that his lineup consistently underperforms in October, but MLB is a results-based business, and Thomson lacks them. Getting to the playoffs isn't nothing, but not winning a World Series with a core consisting of the likes of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler and others would be a disaster.
It was a bit surprising that the Phillies not only chose not to fire Thomson after another early exit, but handed him an extension. If the Phillies lose in the NLDS again or even at all in October, Thomson's fate might be sealed, though.
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