As the 2023 MLB season winds down and teams begin gearing up to make their final playoff push, several managers are on the hot seat. Whether it's not meeting high expectations or not making the playoffs after flirting with contention all season, some managers will feel the heat over the next two weeks.
Managers like Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, Brian Snitker of the Braves, Dusty Baker of the Astros, and Brandon Hyde of the Orioles seem in a good place with their jobs as their teams are securely in the postseason with a good path for a deep run.
With a few more games left in the regular season, it will be interesting to see how things shake out with the remainder of the postseason slots. Who could play themselves out of the postseason? And if they get to the postseason, what if they fail miserably? Jobs could be easily lost over the next few weeks.
Let's see who is on the hot seat as we head into the postseason.
5. Cubs manager David Ross is on the hot seat
The Cubs are in second place in the NL Central with a record of 79-72. They are in the third Wild Card position. The Marlins are a half-game back of the Cubs. The Reds are a game back of them, and the Giants are three games back.
The Cubs have a rough schedule ahead as they finish up a series with the Pirates and then take on the Rockies before a road trip the last week of the season to Atlanta and Milwaukee. The Marlins, under first-time manager Skip Schumaker, finish out with the Brewers and then end the season on the road against the Mets and Pirates. The Marlins have a real shot to play spoiler to the Cubs.
After much of the season bouncing around the standings of the NL Central, it would be incredibly disappointing for the Cubs to miss out on the playoffs. The Cubs are a young team with loads of talent. It may be time for the Uncle Rossy experiment to end.
4. Brewers manager Craig Counsell is on the hot seat
The Brewers lead the NL Central with an 85-66 record. Their record is less than the Braves and Dodgers, which means they will have to play the NL Wild Card game as the third seed.
The Brewers spent much of the season in first place while the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates fought for their place in the standings as the Cardinals struggled. The Brewers finally held off the Cardinals to lead the Central.
After the club's epic collapse in 2022, Counsell must get the Brewers deep into the playoffs. They can not fizz out in the Wild Card game or not even show up in the Division Series. They have to play, win and advance.
Counsell will definitely be managing to keep his job during the playoffs.
3. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is on the hot seat
The Yankees are seven games back of the final Wild Card position in the American League. While they are five games away from elimination, the club will finish out a series with the Blue Jays and then take on the Diamondbacks in their final home series of the season.
The Yankees end things on the road against the Blue Jays and Royals.
Boone and the Yankees have struggled mightily this season with injuries and unfortunate setbacks. Boone should have rallied this team together despite the injuries. With better decision-making, they could be in a better place.
It will be a true miracle if the Yankees could get into the playoffs. Boone is hoping for that miracle. But even if it does happen, Boone will not return as Yankees skipper next Spring. The fan base demands more from their team. A change is needed.
2. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is on the hot seat
Even though Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak says Marmol will return as manager next season, it's hard to believe this will happen.
The Cardinals didn't get the starting pitching they desperately needed last offseason, but there were extremely high expectations for this talented bunch. It quickly became a disaster with injuries, lousy performance, and highly questionable decisions from the manager. Top that with a string of strange instances of Marmol calling out players like Willson Contreras and Tyler O'Neill, and his insistence on playing certain people, such as Taylor Motter, over others, and it was just a bad year for Cardinals fans.
Mozeliak can say he will bring back Marmol, but if the sparse crowds for home games at Busch Stadium are an indication, this fan base does not find Marmol's job this season as anything near acceptable or what they want for the future. If he stays, other changes will have to happen.
The Cardinals offseason should be really interesting.
1. Padres manager Bob Melvin is on the hot seat
The Padres are another team with high expectations that just fizzled out. A team with Manny Machado, Fernado Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, and Xander Bogaerts should be really good. The Padres were anything but that this season.
With his experience, Bob Melvin should be able to handle this situation much better.
It does seem like a team with a lot of individual stars. But those stars can not seem to come together as a team. The Padres are 74-78 and have been eliminated from the playoffs. While the Dodgers powered to take over the NL West, the Diamondbacks were very good this season. The Diamondbacks are in the second Wild Card spot. If the Padres had come together, it makes you wonder what if.
But with rumors of a rift between Melvin and Padres GM A.J. Preller, the Padres could make some managerial and coaching changes again.
