Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic runs down the big league managers that could be on the hot seat (subscription required and strongly recommended). Rosenthal lists Braves skipper Brian Snitker as an immediate candidate and notes that Red Sox skipper John Farrell, too, could be on the hot seat if the Sox are bounced in the ALDS for a second straight season. Farrell was inherited rather than hired by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. While Orioles owner Peter Angelos isn’t likely to dismiss Buck Showalter, the tension between him and GM Dan Duquette continues to loom large in the organization. Rosenthal also covers several other managers on shaky ground that could find themselves in jeopardy with poor team showings in 2018.
A bit from MLB’s dugouts around the league…
- The Royals and pitching coach Dave Eiland reached a mutual agreement to part ways, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The 51-year-old Eiland spent six seasons as the pitching coach for manager Ned Yost in Kansas City, helping the team to consecutive World Series appearances in 2014-15 and, of course, a World Series victory in the latter of those two seasons. He also spent 2008-10 as the Yankees pitching coach, so Eiland’s considerable experience should get him some type of opportunity with another organization, even if the Royals’ pitching staff as a whole underperformed in a disappointing 2017 campaign. Rustin Dodd and Pete Grahoff of the Kansas City Star, meanwhile, report that bench coach Don Wakamatsu, bullpen coach Doug Henry and assistant hitting coach Brian Buchanan are also expected to be dismissed. Kansas City has since announced that Eiland and Wakamatsu will not have their contracts renewed.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia will be back with the team in 2018 — the final season of his 10-year contract as skipper of the Halos, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Scioscia hopes to manage the Angels beyond the 2018 season, Fletcher notes, but he’s content heading into the final season of his contract without signing an extension. The 58-year-old Scioscia is Major League Baseball’s longest tenured manager, as he’s been skipper of the Angels since the 2000 campaign. The Halos were in contention for the American League’s second Wild Card spot up until the final week of the season despite a slew of injuries that decimated their pitching staff for much of the year.
- Braves president of baseball operations plans to meet with manager Brian Snitker to discuss his future “as early as today,” tweets MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves will have a decision on the coaching staff at some point midweek, per Bowman. Notably, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that Hart said today’s sudden resignation of GM John Coppolella in the wake of an MLB investigation isn’t likely to impact the decision one way or another (Twitter links). O’Brien guesses that the option on Snitker will be exercised, though it seems that a formal decision has not yet been made.
While Orioles owner Peter Angelos isn’t likely to dismiss Buck Showalter, the tension between him and GM Dan Duquette continues to loom large in the organization.
Well, I am not happy, I can’t stand Showalter!!!
Something eventually will happen and it’s for Angelos to figure this out!!!
PS The problem is DD didn’t hire Show and has no authority over him!
I don’t follow the Orioles on the level you do. My team is in a completely different league and division. I’ve always been under the impression that since DD and Buck began with the Os, they were like-minded, both strong personalities running the organization with an albeit unorthodox manner. Is that wrong or have things merely changed?
Showalter came after the AS break in 2010 I believe and DD came in 2012
It was a long process believe me.
for what it’s worth, the way the organization is ran, it’s probably best if Duquette goes away
It would be best if Angelos goes away.
The problem isn’t the gm or manager it’s that cheap boss of there’s who won’t spend a dime to keep players long term. And be aggressive on the market for pitching. Stop trading away international money for mediocre players.
i mean, they gave decent sized deals to Ubaldo, Gallardo, Davis, ODay, Hardy, Trumbo, Jones, Miley, etc.
It just doesn’t help that the players they sign long term are guys that everyone knows is going to go south.
Huh? Angelos has done plenty of spending on extensions and he ain’t cheap. One of the biggest philanthropists in MD. If anything Angelos’ is too loyal to his management/players and in return expects it from his subordinates. Doesn’t always make good business in baseball.
Angelos was a better owner when he first purchased the team. Now he worries about money too much.
Bingo… nail on the head with cheap
Also they get a very large settlement tv wise from the Nats…. every year…
He isn’t cheap but he throws big money in wrong directions. The Davis contract will hamper this team for years. Too much money (not cheap) on player with a barely.200 avg and too many strikeouts. Horrible contract. Angelos needs to leave the baseball decisions to the baseball people, his interference is counter productive. This organization will not win the way it is run.
you wonder how sciocia still has a job. hasnt wont the ws in years. had the best record in baseball and and early exit in the playoffs a few years ago, team hasnt been the same since.
At least farrell has won a recent ws and kept the team competitive.
Nostalgia. Loyalty. To be fair Scoisica hasn’t really had an overwhelmingly negative period at the helm. TBH I think he did well this year in particular given the rash of injuries to his roster. I do think it’s nearing the time that a new voice/direction will be needed. Wonder if Erstad would be interested…
The front office is what keeps a team competitive. And the Angels FO has made some bad moves. For instance, even with all of their starting pitching injuries, they could still have Tyler Chatwood and Mike Clevenger. Their FO also hasn’t been able to find better lineups, as they’ve had poor offense the last 3 years since that 2014 season. It’s time to move on from Scioscia, but it’s totally unfair to pin the blame on him when he’s had to do whatever he could with what little the front office has given him.
True, but it’s a game of risk reward. A few yrs from now the Upton trade may come back to haunt us but IMO it was a good decision at the time.
That said the Clev deal looks especially bad due to the nonexistent return in Pestano. At least Chatwood got us a semi useful Ianetta. Hoping we bring him back in free agency.
The Angels have won over 1600 games in Scioscia’s 18 seasons as Manager. The Angels have some pretty bad moves, because of hopes that prospects would be as good as they are predicted to be. Conger was supposed to a gold glove RBI machine, at catcher. So they thought Napoli was expendable. Well we see what happened there. Cron was supposed to be a better version of Trumbo. We can definitely see that isn’t the case. The former GM who is in Seattle now, over paid to get Grienki. Then refused to give the 6th year on a deal. Traded Santana for a 6 pack of socks. Traded Trumbo for some magic beans. That has worked out so well. Traded Kendrick for a guy who will be a lefty specialist in a couple of years. Turn down getting Grandal from the Padres in the Huston Street trade. Replaced Kendrick with a career minor leaguer. Replaced Santana with Blanton. Replaced Grienki with Tommy Hanson. And you wonder why the Angels haven’t been good the last few years. Other than 2013 and last season the Angels have been in the playoff hunt in September.
If you’re going to go on a rant, it shouldn’t kill you to get your facts straight.
Dipoto’s trade of Trumbo was probably the best deal he engineered while GM of the Angels. It brought Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs in return.
Santiago produced about 3 WAR over 2.5 seasons with Angels, before being traded for Nolasco and Meyer.
Skaggs has the stuff to be a solid #2 or #3 SP in 2018 and beyond ( team control through 2020). Obviously, Meyer won’t be back before 2019, but there is plenty to like there, and Santiago’s value made the Twins part with Meyer.
It is true that Trumbo was subsequently mediocre with ARZ and traded, then mediocre with SEA and traded, then had a monster season with BAL in 2016, got a fat 3 year deal, and reverted to mediocre in 2017. It is completely false to say he was traded for no return—he fetched a big return for the Angels.
My only problem with articles like who stays and who goes as a manager is they rarely have a solution of who the team should bring in. Take the Red Sox for instance, when Francona and the team had a parting of the ways none of the candidates were that great and despite what people say now, Valentine was sadly the best possible choice at the time.
If Farrell is dismissed, who takes over for the Sox? Disarcina would be the most likely internal candidate but he has never been above bench coach. And Varitek is probably more of a fantasy than reality. Externally, who would Dombrowski see as his type?
Ausmus
Id say one of these three… Alex Cora, Brad Ausmus, Gary DiScarcina. In my opinion Farrell should have been let go as manager last year so they could promote Lovullo.
I disagree. I think Farrell is a good manager and that’s why he’s still the manager.
You can’t win a WS and then more AL East titles than ANY other RS manager in history and be tossed just because. That’s idiot sports radio loudmouth fantasy talk right there!
Farrell is one lucky SOB if you could call his cancer scare lucky. He would have been gone already. How could a former successful pitching coach been such a horrible handler of his pitchers? Honestly, the only thing that saves him is David Price in the bullpen becomes the move everyone talks about all winter long.
You people. It’s always some excuse why Farrell wins. Loses are all him, wins have nothing to do with him.
When the media and fans both agree that he should be gone, they’re probably right. And it’s not just Red Sox media. The national media also thinks he’s on the chopping block
Dennis Eckersley would be my first choice…
Seriously, I think Farrell would have been gone after the scandal with thhe reporter broke but I think it was then that he got sick. This team
should have had more wins. They have to win the Astros series in my eyes for him to come back. Alex Cora would be a good choice if it becomes necessary. The thing about this year is he could push all the right buttons and get swept or make several blunders and win. All AL teams other than MN seem to have a shot. In the NO, there’s at least three. The playoffs this year should be fun.
And please no Asmus!
Maybe Jim Leyland comes out of retirement and teams up with DD again for another run at a WS??
Not a chance. All managers nowadays must have extensive knowledge of the dark art of “sabermetrics”, and Leyland hasn’t even used a calculator since 1985.
Lol
Jim hates Boston
No he’s having too much fun in retirement
Coppolella’s abrupt departure may have bought Snitker another year since most of Hart’s attention in the near term will be on filling the GM position and possibly his own. Braves have been dealt an unceremonious setback, so picking up Snitker’s option offers the benefit of continuity in the dugout if not in the front office.
Alex Cora or Vizquel
Why couldn’t he wait until the GM position is filled and let that GM help bring in a manager? Snitker was rumored to be coming back, but it says something that they hadn’t already extended him. This doesn’t really change that much, but it could bring him back for 1 more year (at least) considering many of the players vouched for him including Freeman (twice). Some of the internal discord that has been rumored could have created enough noise to not address Snitker’s replacement.
Either way, if they were going to retain, I wish they would go ahead and bring him back for another season knowing that even a new GM wants to move on from Snitker, he’d be given a cushy FO job because of his 40-year loyalty — as well he should.
On the other hand its an opportunity for the new GM to pick his own manager. He is gone
The Red Sox should try Brian butterfield as mgr. and hire Dan warthen (if he is fired by the mets) as pitching coach.
Steve,
Can’t help but wonder about John Gibbons. Especially since he was an Anthopoulis legacy hire. I like Gibbons a lot and believe he is a very good manager if he has a veteran team. However, I can’t help but wonder if they would move him soon when prospects start hitting the field.
Sciosia needs to go. Too many chances. Like an old blanket who time has past but is comfortable. He’s fraying at the edges
It’s too bad the Sox didn’t have the stones after being embarrassed by Cleveland last year to fire Farrell. The minute Arizona called DD about Lovullo, the next call should have been to Farrell to give him his walking papers….
I agree. I think Lovullo was our one shot to be rid of Farrell and have a good option to replace him. If they do it now I feel as though it’d be a crap shoot. Farrell isnt the complete idiot some make him out to be, but the team has definitely won a lot of games over the years in spite of him, and lost plenty because of him. If they get run out in the 1st round again, something needs to change. The Sox realistically have this year and next year to make a WS win happen before they start losing key people.
Mets might consider an outside the box move and hire Dave Eiland to manage.
Not so outside the box other than his lack of managerial experience. He’s a solid coach with NY credentials.
DiPoto is the reason the Angels have struggled. Trading away their future while he was there really hurt the organization, along with all those massive contracts.
Matheny? Please!!!!