While there are still eight teams hoping to win the World Series, the vast majority of MLB has turned its attention to the offseason. Most of those teams have managers in place, but seven teams can't say that.
Any MLB managerial opening is a desirable one - there are only 30 openings - but some, obviously, are more desirable than others. Whether it has to do with the talent, the front office, or even the division, there are ways to determine which opening is most desirable.
7) Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies fired Bud Black in the middle of the worst season in franchise history, and they replaced him with Warren Schaeffer. They performed better with Schaeffer than they did with Black, but not well enough to keep him around in that position.
Why the Rockies' managerial opening is desirable
It's one of the 30 openings. Is that reason enough? It's hard to find other exciting factors. Hunter Goodman broke out this season, and guys like Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar are intriguing building blocks, but the pitching is a mess, and it's hard to see that changing anytime soon. At least they're finally exploring outside of the organization for a GM, right?
One thing I will say, though, is that there should be a good amount of job security with this Rockies job. We saw that with Bud Black until things went fully off the rails this season. Coming off the worst season in franchise history, the expectation won't be to win many games for several years. If you aren't a good manager, you likely wouldn't get fired for several years because it'd be difficult to pick up on that with a roster that lacks talent.
Why the Rockies' managerial opening is not desirable
This team went 43-119, finishing with not only the worst record in Rockies history, but one of the worst marks in modern MLB history. It is going to be several years before the Rockies are even somewhat competitive. This means that job security will be easier to come by, but it's really hard to convince a competitor to want to join a team with no way of competing anytime soon.
By the time the Rockies are finally ready to compete, they might decide they want a change in the manager's chair. If the priority is winning, steer clear of the franchise that won't do much of that for quite a while.
6) Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels announced that they were parting ways with Ron Washington and were not going to offer interim manager Ray Montgomery the full-time role. Their opening isn't the worst, but it's far from the best.
Why the Angels' managerial opening is desirable
The weather is nice in Southern California year-round. Mike Trout is there. The Angels also have some young talent with guys like Zach Neto, Jo Adell and Nolan Schanuel. They also have a desire to win, even if things haven't gone well at all on that front for quite some time.
The AL West is also fairly wide open. The Houston Astros are clearly on the downswing after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the Texas Rangers have an older and expensive roster coming off a disappointing year, and the A's are unwilling to spend much money. The one team that figures to be competitive annually for a while are the Seattle Mariners.
The biggest selling point would revolve around the challenge of winning in Anaheim. The Angels haven't made the playoffs in over a decade and they haven't even had a winning season since 2016. The next manager to find a way to do that will be a hero in Anaheim for quite some time.
Why the Angels' managerial opening is not desirable
Arte Moreno still owns the team, and despite showing some interest in selling the club in 2022, it's unlikely he will entertain leaving anytime soon. Moreno is a known meddler who wants to win, but not spend like an owner desperate to win. He refuses to enter the luxury tax, and spends as little as any owner in things like player development.
It's hard to envision the Angels winning anytime soon as long as Moreno owns the team, and he's likely going to make the next manager the scapegoat as he's done so many times before. It's one of 30 openings, and I believe in the Angels' future more than Colorado's, but not by much.
5) Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins orchestrated one of the largest trade deadline sell-offs in recent memory, and continued to shake things up after the season by parting ways with Rocco Baldelli. I'm not going to say Baldelli was the best manager in the world, but it's clear the Twins were looking for a new voice.
Why the Twins' managerial opening is desirable
This opening is desirable for a couple of reasons. First, the division is wide open. The AL Central had two postseason teams in 2025, but I'd argue that the Cleveland Guardians are likely to regress in 2026, and Tarik Skubal might not be with the Detroit Tigers for long, as he is entering his final year of club control next season. If the Twins rebuild correctly, they could be running this division before too long.
Second, there is a clean slate. The Twins are in the midst of a full-blown rebuild and will soon have a slew of exciting youngsters in the majors alongside Byron Buxton, a five-tool superstar. I do truly believe that if everything goes right, the Twins can be competitive in the not-too-distant future.
Why the Twins' managerial opening is not desirable
A lot has to go right for the Twins to turn things around. When I say they blew things up, I mean they traded nearly half of their active roster. The roster wasn't good enough to win as constructed, clearly, but they traded several high-end controllable players, signaling that it'll be a while before they expect to compete. For them to compete, a lot of their prospects will have to pan out.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Pohlad family still owns the Twins, and it's not sounding like that'll change anytime soon, despite some past flirtation with selling. They've shown no motivation to spend, and in fact, their desire to save money has only grown in recent years. They traded Carlos Correa, receiving practically nothing in return, with the sole goal of shedding as much of his contract as possible. Trading him wasn't a terrible idea, but trading him with the goal of saving money helps nobody but the Pohlad's.
It'll be a grind to get the Twins back on track, and even if things go well, who knows how much money will be invested into the team?
4) Washington Nationals
In the midst of a wildly disappointing season, the Washington Nationals decided to shake things up, not only firing longtime manager Dave Martinez but also firing GM Mike Rizzo. Miguel Cairo replaced him, and his .401 winning percentage was even lower than Martinez's .411 mark.
Why the Nationals' managerial opening is desirable
The only reason why the Nationals rank ahead of a team like the Twins on this list has to do with the core they have in place. James Wood, rocky second half aside, is a budding superstar. C.J. Abrams is one of the best shortstops in the National League. MacKenzie Gore has ace stuff. Even Jose A. Ferrer showed incredible flashes in the closer role post-deadline. The farm system, led by guys like Eli Willits and Jarlin Susana, has talent too.
The pieces around that core leave a lot to be desired, but if the new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, can find a way to supplement the core with good players, the Nationals can easily take a massive step forward in 2026.
Why the Nationals' managerial opening is not desirable
What if Toboni fails? What if the Nationals only have five-ish quality players in 2026 and 2027? Well, you're going to see lots of seasons like the 66-win campaign they just wrapped up. Having the core is great, but it's impossible to win consistently without a full team in place. The Nationals have a ton of work to do when it comes to building a competitive team around the core.
Additionally, the NL East is a gauntlet. The Philadelphia Phillies aren't going anywhere. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are primed to bounce back in 2026. Even the Miami Marlins showed great strides this past season and arguably have a brighter future than the Nationals. Building a competitive team is one thing, but building one that's able to compete in this division in the near future is another.
3) San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants made a bit of a surprising decision by firing Bob Melvin after the 2025 season. It made some sense, given their collapse after making the big Rafael Devers trade, but the Giants had exercised his option during the 2025 campaign, giving everyone reason to believe they were committed to him in 2026.
Why the Giants' managerial opening is desirable
The talent on this team is undeniable. Devers, while he's far from perfect, is one of the best hitters in the sport. With guys like Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman and Bryce Eldridge around him, why can't their offense be productive in 2026? On the pitching side, Logan Webb is one of the best starting pitchers in the game, and Robbie Ray had a strong (and healthy) year. They were. .500 team in 2024, so clearly, they aren't far off from making the postseason.
Additionally, the Giants have shown a desire to spend money. Yes, they've failed to recruit many free agents, but they did land Adames last offseason and also traded for Devers, showing their willingness to spend. If they're able to land a marquee guy, who's to say they won't be in the postseason in 2026? That's attractive.
Why the Giants' managerial opening is not desirable
The NL West is absurdly talented. The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't going away anytime soon, the same can probably be said about the San Diego Padres, and even the Arizona Diamondbacks should be better in 2026 with better health. The Giants can compete, but what are their odds of winning this division anytime soon?
There's a lot of pressure to win right now, and I'm not sure the Giants have the roster to do it. I mean, they're going to need to add multiple starters, completely revamp their bullpen, and add a big bat to be taken seriously as World Series contenders in 2026.
If they fail to come close to winning it all anytime in the next couple of years, who is to say the new manager will stick around for very long? Melvin, a really good manager, lasted only two seasons in San Francisco before being shown the door. If he can get fired that quickly, that isn't great.
2) Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles were arguably the most disappointing team in the American League, going from a team many picked to win the AL East to finishing in last place in that division. In the midst of their rough year, Brandon Hyde was fired and replaced by Tony Mansolino. They finished above .500 under Mansolino, so perhaps they'll keep him around, but that remains to be seen.
Why the Orioles' managerial opening is desirable
This job is the most desirable among open AL jobs because of the position players they have. Gunnar Henderson had a bit of a down year, but he has an MVP-caliber ceiling. Jordan Westburg missed substantial time due to injury, but he's one of the best infielders in the AL. Jackson Holliday showed real signs of growth in 2025. Young prospects Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers are really good. Adley Rutschman is still there, too. This team has the makings of an elite offensive team if they can stay healthy.
This past season was a disaster, but they won 101 games and the AL East in 2023 and made it back to the postseason in 2024. A playoff berth in 2026 doesn't feel far-fetched at all, assuming Mike Elias is able to make the necessary pitching improvements.
Why the Orioles' managerial opening is not desirable
This team needs pitching, and lots of it. Kyle Bradish is healthy, and Trevor Rogers looked like a frontline starter when he was healthy, but who else is there in the rotation? Dean Kremer? Tyler Wells? The starting rotation isn't good enough. The same can be said about the bullpen, particularly with Felix Bautista likely to miss most, if not all, of next season due to injury. What are the odds they completely revamp their entire pitching staff to make it competitive enough to get back to October?
Will Mike Elias be willing to go for it? Will owner David Rubenstein be willing to spend? These are questions I do not know the answers to.
Even if the Orioles improve, the AL East is ridiculously tough. Three teams made the postseason in 2025 from this division, and there's a pretty good chance all three of those teams will be even better in 2026. Even the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that didn't make the playoffs, always find a way to be competitive.
I expect the Orioles to be better, but the pitching is a major issue, and I have no idea how motivated Elias and Rubenstein are to win a World Series. This could lead to a disappointing tenure.
1) Atlanta Braves
After a long and successful career managing the Atlanta Braves, Brian Snitker stepped down from his post, clearing the way for a new voice to be heard in 2026. The Braves had a remarkably underwhelming 2025 campaign, but there are reasons to believe this is the most desirable managerial opening in the league.
Why the Braves' managerial opening is desirable
Atlanta's core is not going away anytime soon. Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr, Spencer Strider, Michael Harris II, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Drake Baldwin are all under club control through the 2028 campaign at least. It's rare to see a managerial opening with so many good players locked in for such a long time.
This past season was a rough one, but the Braves can be really good in 2026. Their rotation, assuming health (which I get is a major concern), is as good as it gets. Their lineup is full of talent, too. A good team with several star players locked in for a while sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
Why the Braves' managerial opening is not desirable
How good is this core really? I mean, I'm a believer, but they barely made it to the postseason in 2024 and missed it entirely in 2025. I get that injuries have been a huge reason why they've struggled to win in the past couple of years, but what if this core just gets banged up a lot?
Also, are we sure that ownership will spend enough money this winter to fill holes, particularly in the bullpen? Are we sure they'll be better than teams like the Mets and Phillies in 2026? Expectations will be sky-high for the new skipper, but what if this Braves core has already peaked? That could lead to a short and uncomfortable stint.