After the Phillies fired Gabe Kapler today, there are now eight managerial openings around Major League Baseball. Where do each of the eight jobs rank for potential managers?
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
Following up Clint Hurdle, who had a successful nine-year run that included bringing the Pirates back to the postseason for the first time in two decades, won’t be easy. The team does not have a clear direction at this point, and there has been some known unhappiness from players toward the direction of the organization.
7. San Francisco Giants
The Giants had a good run that put them in playoff contention for a time in 2018, but they did not make any drastic moves at the trade deadline to preserve the strides they’ve made in the farm system over the past year. However, the MLB roster could go through a lot of overhaul moving forward; and if being the next manager after Clint Hurdle was difficult, taking over for three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy is an incredibly difficult task.
6. Kansas City Royals
Similarly, following up World Series winner Ned Yost won’t be easy in Kansas City. But the small-market Royals should have a lot of patience in their new manager, and they have an underrated farm system along with promising pieces already on the big-league roster.
5. San Diego Padres
The top five is where the order could vary a lot more, but the Padres come in at No. 5. Ownership has shown a willingness to spend big in the winter, which should continue in future years. The farm system is one of the best in baseball. And there are already established foundation pieces in the majors.
4. New York Mets
The team is aging, but the Mets still have a very potent pitching staff for the next manager to work with, and it’s a veteran team that might be able to make a postseason in 2020. Presumptive NL Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso is a guy to build around offensively. But if things don’t go well during next season, the team could be blown up ahead of the trade deadline, potentially making it a tough spot for a manager expecting to win now.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
There’s a case for the Phillies being the top managerial opening because of ownership’s commitment to putting a winning product on the field to compete for championships, but there are a few issues. One, the pitching staff needs a lot of work (which free agency might be able to help fix). Two, the NL East is a tough division with the Braves, Nats, and Mets. And three, there’s a chance this is a one-year gig if 2020 doesn’t go well and the franchise decides to clean house in the front office, which could make the new manager a lame duck.
2. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs job has some issues similar to the other teams with openings (such as following up a manager that ended the 108-year championship drought and a tough media market), but this is a strong roster with one of the best decision-makers in baseball (Theo Epstein). Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo are a few MVP-caliber building blocks for Chicago.
1. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have had some major problems with their farm system (which has improved) and pitching, but the presence of the best player in baseball Mike Trout and Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani make it the most appealing managerial opening. The franchise has to put a winning team around Trout and Ohtani at some point, and managers should be lining up for the chance to coach one of the best players in history.