Power ranking MLBs managerial openings, version 2.0 : Who has the best vacancy?

UPDATED NOV. 7 Baseball’s managerial carousel continues to spin. An eventful start to the offseason saw the Mets and Guardians fill their openings, while the Cubs filled a vacancy we didn’t even know existed, leading to an opening for a new Brewers manager. All this came after the Giants poached Bob Melvin from the Padres.

Advertisement

At the start of October we ranked the four existing managerial openings, listing them as Mets-Guardians-Giants-Angels in terms of desirability. The Mets and Guardians are now off the board, and the Brewers, Padres and Astros have joined the field.

A bit on our methodology: We identified three critical aspects of each opening. The first is the perceived stability of the ownership group and the front office, which is arguably the most important consideration. Next is the current state of the roster. Finally, we zeroed in on each franchise’s chances of sustained success in the coming years.

We asked a panel of writers and editors to assign grades for each category in relation to every team. They used a five-point scale, ranging from one for the least desirable to five for the most desirable. From there, we averaged the scores and used them to rank the current openings, with the Mets leading the way. Who takes their spot now that Carlos Mendoza is in Queens?

Houston Astros

The Astros have a lot of talent; the team finished one victory shy of another World Series in 2023. But Alex Bregman can become a free agent after 2024, Justin Verlander has already reached his 40s and owner Jim Crane tends to rule with a heavy hand. This feels like a great opportunity in 2024. Beyond that, it’s harder to foresee. — Andy McCullough

Don’t listen to me. I thought this team was heading for a cliff after 2017. — Chad Jennings

There always seems to be drama in Houston, and Jim Crane’s reach feels like it is getting longer and longer. Then again, it’s still the Astros and this is still a most talented roster. Their competitive window might not last forever, but there’s still a lot to like about managing a team that has been to the ALCS in seven straight seasons. — Cody Stavenhagen

Hard to know who really calls the shots in Houston, considering that owner Jim Crane, GM Dana Brown and advisor Jeff Bagwell all seem to have their hands on the scale. But the roster is there, and a manager could walk in and succeed right away. — Dan Barbarisi

Milwaukee Brewers

They play in one of the sport’s weakest divisions. The team tends to produce pitching. But Corbin Burnes can become a free agent after this season and Brandon Woodruff will miss all of 2024 as he recovers from major shoulder surgery. You can understand why Counsell departed. — AM

Advertisement

Is this the most “neutral” team in baseball the past two decades? Rarely great but rarely awful. Sustainable but unlikely to spend like crazy. Usually has a chance but never a favorite. — CJ

Milwaukee may not be the most robust market, but the Brewers have quietly made the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. Even with Craig Counsell and David Stearns elsewhere, Matt Arnold is a good front-office leader and the Brewers have a knack for finding talent. The resources don’t compare to some other clubs, but other factors are pretty stable. — CS

The Brewers’ situation is … fine? One can easily see why Counsell found other situations more attractive. Nothing wrong with this spot but nothing screaming opportunity about it, either. Still, there are only 30 of these jobs, so… — DB

San Diego Padres

The plusses: Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., at least one more year of Juan Soto. The downside: A.J. Preller has churned through so many managers in the last half-decade, without a single National League West championship to show for it. — AM

This roster could quickly become a long-term mess, but there should be a separate category for the upside of living in San Diego. — CJ

Bob Melvin was supposed to be the type of proven manager who could lead the Padres to the promised land. Instead, 2023 became another wasted season as Melvin reportedly clashed with A.J. Preller. Now there are concerns about the team’s financial situation despite its massive payroll. Juan Soto could eventually be traded, and patience for Preller may be wearing thin. It’s a good spot for anyone looking to win now, but sometimes that comes with drawbacks. — CS

They’ve got talent and the fans are into it, but there may be financial problems and A.J. Preller’s regime isn’t exactly known for stability. A weird situation, but with undeniable upside. — DB

Los Angeles Angels

Arte Moreno is looking for his fourth manager since Mike Scioscia stepped down in 2018. Moreno is neither renowned for his patience nor his largesse. The roster is a bit of a wreck, with Shohei Ohtani entering free agency. Mike Trout has averaged 79 games a year since 2021. There are only 30 of these jobs, though. — AM

Advertisement

There’s just not a great track record of a manager surviving this sort of mess. You want to be the guy after the guy, not whomever this team ultimately hires this winter. — ZM

You’d love to think, how could a team with Mike Trout keep losing? Except, we’ve seen it for more than a decade. — CJ

For the readers at home: The prompt we were given by editors requested that we provide an explanation in 50 words or less. I’d argue that no explanation is needed for this particular team. Experienced managers won’t be knocking down GM Perry Minasian’s door for this job. — SB

Off the board

New York Mets

(The Mets hired Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza)

This is the best job on the market. Steve Cohen has demonstrated a willingness to fund the team well beyond even reasonable fan expectations. David Stearns built a perpetual winner in Milwaukee and figures to be given leeway to do the same with better funding in Queens. The roster has plenty of holes, but you could do a lot worse when starting a roster than with shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo. — Andy McCullough

The Mets have a good core of young players and an owner who will spend on the best people — players, coaches and front office. Clearly something still needs to be fixed in this culture. But any potential manager will easily see the potential in this job. — Sam Blum

Huge market with an owner who doesn’t care how much he spends? Failure should be impossible, but the Mets are gonna Met. — Chad Jennings

Steve Cohen, the wealthiest owner in the sport, isn’t going anywhere. He just hired David Stearns, the executive that he waited patiently to poach. Regardless of whether the Mets are actual contenders in 2024, it won’t be long until they’re set up for success. The only challenge: You can bet that the next Mets manager won’t enjoy the same benefit of doubt from the local press that Buck Showalter did. — Marc Carig

Cleveland Guardians

(The Guardians hired longtime big league catcher Stephen Vogt)

Location, location, location. Cleveland plays in the American League Central, so sustainable success is always possible — even when the team underperforms or the ownership group doesn’t spend much. The club stumbled well short of expectations in 2023, but the pitching pipeline is still the envy of much of the sport. — AM

Advertisement

Do they get to keep playing in the American League Central? Yes? They should be fine, then. — CJ

Some might consider it a daunting task to replace Terry Francona, who managed in Cleveland for 11 years. Team officials insist it simply demonstrates the stability and culture in place. No need to pick a side of the debate; future results will tell us. — Zack Meisel

The longest-tenured manager in baseball got to leave on his own terms. That’s the definition of stability. And this roster was good enough to win a division in 2022. The AL Central should be winnable every year, and the Guardians have enough talent to do that. — Sam Blum

San Francisco Giants

(The Giants hired Bob Melvin away from the Padres)

It’s not impossible for the Giants to usurp the Dodgers in the National League West. The team did it only two seasons ago. But the Dodgers are a monolith who are unlikely to fade, and there will be pressure on whoever replaces Gabe Kapler to contend right away. Given the lack of All-Stars on the roster and high-impact prospects in the pipeline, that’s a difficult ask. — AM

With patience for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi potentially waning after a difficult season, any manager will be cognizant they’re entering into a situation that could change. The Giants will have a hard time overtaking the Dodgers in the division. The Diamondbacks look solid too. It’s a good team but it’s also unclear what their path is. — SB

The desirability of this opening is tied directly to whether the Giants can acquire some star power. Clearly, spare parts baseball can work, but a lot of things must go right. And when they don’t, the person who pays the price is typically the person writing out the lineup card. — MC

Logan Webb is a good place to start, but there’s a lot of transition to take place. — CJ

(Top photo of Terry Francona exchanging lineup cards for the final time: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k3JpcGlpZXxzfJFsZmppX2WEcLnLm2SmmZ6WtKa%2BjKinnqaZo7S0ec%2Borp6qXaeur7fIp55o

 Share!

• Share on Facebook
   
• Tweet
   
• Share on Google+
   
• Post to Tumblr
   
• Pin it
   
• Submit to Reddit