Firing managers or coaches is often done to send a message to a team: Play has not been up to standard, regardless of how well or poorly a roster is constructed. Often times, it is much easier to fire a manager or a coach rather than firing the whole team. The point can get across, but removing one figurehead from an organization is not always the best course of action. Other issues could persist.
So far this MLB season, we have seen three managers get the axe before the All-Star break. The Pittsburgh Pirates decided to move on from Derek Shelton in favor of Don Kelly after a brutally slow start. A few days later, the Colorado Rockies decided they had enough with Bud Black. Then, about a week later, the Baltimore Orioles decided to make a big change by moving on from Brandon Hyde.
Although it has been about a month since the last managerial change, we still have three-plus months of regular-season games left to be played. Seeing a fourth or even a fifth manager be fired before the end of the season would be staggering. Then again, time is on the side of that potentially happening again. After all, we did see three MLB skippers get a pink slip in the first two-thirds of May!
If I had to put my finger on it, I would argue that the next manager to be fired will be one of these four.
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4. Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker
Man, do I want this era of Atlanta Braves baseball to end. While I highly doubt the Braves will fire long-time skipper Brian Snitker before the end of season, there is a non-zero chance that happens. This is the final year of his contract leading the team. He has been a coach in this organization for well over 40 years. Snitker helped the Braves win their most recent World Series championship back in 2021.
I would have him retire with dignity, but the first 2.5 months of following along with and covering this team have been nothing short of painfully frustrating. He has become a bit more of a tinkerer out of necessity than he ever has at any point of his managerial career. Snitker has no feel for the bullpen whatsoever.
The Braves are not going to pull the rug out from under Snitker, but they have fired people before.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo
This would be a bit harsh, but I could see why the Arizona Diamondbacks may decide to move on from manager Torey Lovullo at some point here soon. Arizona may play in the brutally tough NL West, but this is also a team that won the NL pennant two years ago. The Diamondbacks failed to qualify for the postseason last year. If they come up short of the playoffs in back-to-back years, it may happen.
I would not be in favor of this because nobody wins the NL West besides the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it is hard to sell your fan base on one thing and get something totally different on the field. Lovullo has been leading the team for nearly a decade now. The Diamondbacks have talent, but perhaps they need a new voice? He could be gone the second the team is mathematically eliminated.
The only managers with longer tenures in the NL than Lovullo are Dave Roberts and Snitker.
2. St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol
It could very well be postseason or bust for Oli Marmol and his St. Louis Cardinals. While they have had their down stretches throughout their illustrious baseball history, Marmol has become synonymous with always making the wrong decision and not being the most player-friendly manager. If St. Louis misses out on the postseason for the third year in a row, the front office has to move on.
The Cardinals' decision to move on from Mike Shildt in favor of Marmol was controversial at the time. Yes, Shildt probably needed to go, but he found himself in a big way leading the San Diego Padres. In a way, his successes with the Friars only further magnify any failures put forth by Marmol leading the Redbirds. At times, the Cardinals have played well this season. A bad ending might be too much.
There is only one other manager out there I think is more likely to get the ax than Marmol this season.
1. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora
The Boston Red Sox need to rip the band-aid off that is manager Alex Cora. I understand that he won a World Series here in 2018, but that was seven years ago. In the years since, he has been tied to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal and been ousted for a year, only to come back in 2021. Yes, the 2021 team did make it to the ALCS, but the last four seasons have been varying shades of rubbish.
He seems like a manager who stumbles into luck every so often. From afar, I do not think he does a great job of managing a clubhouse, nor do I think he does a great job of empowering his younger players to make a difference. There may not be a manager in baseball who has less of a finger on the pulse of the team he is managing than Cora. I would be utterly stunned if he got to manage Boston next season.
If any manager is going to be fired midseason like Black, Hyde and Shelton were, it has to be Cora.