In the same way that players feel extra pressure to produce entering their last season before free agency, managers and front office bosses similarly feel the heat when entering the final year of their contracts.\u00a0 The difference is that even if a player has a rough season, they\u2019re usually still in position to land at least a one-year deal in some fashion for the next year \u2014 a manager or a GM could find themselves fired in the wake of a bad year, with no guarantee about when (or even if) they\u2019ll get another shot at leading a dugout or a front office.<\/p>\n
This list details the baseball operations bosses (whatever their specific title) and managers who are entering the final year of their contracts, as well as the personnel whose contractual situations aren\u2019t publicly known.\u00a0 Some clubs don\u2019t publicize the terms of employee contracts, so it is entirely possible that some of these names signed extensions months ago but the teams have chosen to keep these new deals quiet for the time being.\u00a0 And, of course, the length of a contract doesn\u2019t always correlate to job security.\u00a0 One bad season or even a poor start could suddenly threaten the status of a manager or head of baseball ops that seemingly seems safe right now.<\/p>\n
As always, thanks to Cot\u2019s Baseball Contracts<\/a> for reference information on some of these contracts.<\/p>\n Angels: It\u2019s pretty unusual to see a newly-hired manager already on this list, yet that is the situation Kurt Suzuki finds himself in after signing just a one-year guarantee to become the Halos\u2019 new skipper.\u00a0 The deal has multiple club option years attached, and while one would imagine Suzuki wouldn\u2019t be let go so quickly, the Angels\u2019 manager\u2019s office has been enough of a revolving door in recent years that it is hard to guess what owner Arte Moreno might do next.\u00a0 GM Perry Minasian is also entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a club option for the 2027 season.\u00a0 Ten consecutive losing seasons has led to a lot of discord in Anaheim, and an eleventh sub-.500 year might get both Suzuki and Minasian sent packing by next offseason.<\/p>\n Astros: GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada are each entering their final season under contract, with Brown hired in January 2023 and Espada in November 2023.\u00a0 Earlier this month<\/a>, Astros owner Jim Crane didn\u2019t entirely close the door on the possibility of an extension for either Brown or Espada, but said \u201cI think we\u2019ll go through this year like we always do, evaluate it and then make the decision at the end of the year.\u201d\u00a0 Reading between the lines, it certainly seems like the spotlight will be on Brown and Espada, especially since the Astros are coming off their first non-playoff season since 2016.\u00a0 While the team\u2019s laundry list of injuries is a valid excuse for their 2025 letdown, some personnel changes might well be coming if Houston can\u2019t get back into the postseason hunt this year.<\/p>\n Athletics: General manager David Forst\u2019s contract has already expired, as his most recent deal with the team was up following the 2025 campaign.\u00a0 Owner John Fisher has stated<\/a> that \u201cconversations are ongoing\u201d about another extension, and since it has apparently been business as usual for the A\u2019s this offseason, it seems like it\u2019s just a matter of time before Forst formally extends his long stint in the team\u2019s front office.\u00a0 Forst only officially took over the baseball operations department in the 2022-23 offseason, but he has been with the Athletics since 2000, first working as a scout and then becoming one of Billy Beane\u2019s top lieutenants.<\/p>\n Blue Jays: GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider are both entering the final year of their contracts, as the Jays exercised their 2026 club option on Schneider\u2019s deal back in November.\u00a0 This duo was facing heavy pressure heading into the 2025 season, yet Toronto\u2019s AL pennant and near-miss in the World Series has entirely changed the narrative for both Atkins and Schneider.\u00a0 The Blue Jays already extended<\/a> team president\/CEO Mark Shapiro a few weeks ago, and extensions for Atkins and Schneider should follow before Opening Day.<\/p>\n Brewers: Pat Murphy is entering the final season of his three-year contract, but it is hard to believe the Brew Crew won\u2019t have the manager soon locked up on another deal.\u00a0 Murphy has been named NL Manager of the Year in each of the first two seasons, won consecutive NL Central titles, and this October led the Brewers to their first NLCS appearance since 2018.\u00a0 October also saw Matt Arnold receive a promotion from GM to president of baseball operations, even though Arnold has already been the Brewers\u2019 top baseball exec for the last three seasons.\u00a0 Arnold\u2019s specific contract situation hasn\u2019t been made clear for a few years now, but it would surely seem like Milwaukee\u2019s continued success and his new job title probably landed the PBO an extension at some point.\u00a0 Regardless, Arnold seems in no danger of being fired even if 2026 is his last year under contract.<\/p>\n Cardinals: Oli Marmol is headed into his final year, but the manger and the Cardinals have already started<\/a> discussing an extension to retain Marmol beyond the 2026 campaign.\u00a0 It seems like something should be finalized in due course, with St. Louis continuing to entrust Marmol with the reins as the team now moves into a full-on rebuild phase.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo has quietly become one of baseball\u2019s longer-tenured managers, as Lovullo has been running Arizona\u2019s dugout since the 2016-17 offseason.\u00a0 He has signed multiple extensions (none for more than two guaranteed years) since his initial three-year pact, yet while 2026 represents the final year of Lovullo\u2019s current deal, the Diamondbacks are reportedly<\/a> are going to let Lovullo enter the season without an extension in place.\u00a0 Owner Ken Kendrick did praise<\/a> Lovullo\u2019s efforts in keeping the D\u2019Backs competitive amidst a swath of pitching injuries and a partial trade deadline selloff in 2025, but it is intriguing that the vote of confidence wasn\u2019t backed up by another contract.\u00a0 This will be a storyline to watch as the Diamondbacks\u2019 season progresses, and a change in the dugout might well be coming if the D\u2019Backs can\u2019t get back into the postseason.<\/p>\n Dodgers: President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman first came to Los Angeles on a five-year, $35MM pact covering the 2015-19 seasons, and he signed an extension<\/a> back in November 2019.\u00a0 Terms of that deal weren\u2019t known, yet it is clear that if Friedman hasn\u2019t already signed another new deal in the last six years, the Dodgers are almost surely keen in retaining the executive.\u00a0 The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every single season of Friedman\u2019s tenure, have won three World Series championships under his leadership, and have become baseball\u2019s dominant franchise due to both their record-high payrolls and their ability to draft and develop minor league talent.<\/p>\n Guardians: Chris Antonetti gets an obligatory mention since the Guardians haven\u2019t publicly addressed his contract status since he signed an extension with the team back in 2013.\u00a0 Following the 2015 season, Antonetti was promoted to the president of baseball operations title, and his decade in charge has seen Cleveland make seven postseason appearances.\u00a0 As the Guards are coming off their sixth AL Central crown of Antonetti\u2019s tenure, there is no sense ownership is looking to make a change, or is there any sense Antonetti (who has turned down overtures from other teams in the past) is looking to leave.<\/p>\n Mariners: Dan Wilson\u2019s contract terms weren\u2019t made public when he was hired as manager in August 2024, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto\u2019s status hasn\u2019t been addressed since he signed a contract extension of an unknown length back in September 2021.\u00a0 It may very well be that Dipoto has quietly signed another deal in the last four-plus years, but regardless, the Mariners\u2019 success in 2025 very likely means neither Dipoto or Wilson are going anywhere, even if the M\u2019s don\u2019t feel the need to publicize any extensions.<\/p>\n Marlins: Previous Miami GM Kim Ng was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season, and the Marlins chose to pass on that option in order to hire Peter Bendix as the new president of baseball operations.\u00a0 Terms of Bendix\u2019s contract weren\u2019t disclosed, so given the length of Ng\u2019s contract, it is possible Bendix could also be entering his final guaranteed year if Miami pursued the same structure with another first-time front office boss.\u00a0 While Ng\u2019s dismissal caught many in baseball by surprise, Bendix\u2019s job appears to be a lot safer, as the Marlins\u2019 surprising surge to 79 wins in 2025 is a promising step forward for the team\u2019s (latest) rebuild.<\/p>\n Mets: Carlos Mendoza is entering the final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, and New York holds a club option on the manager\u2019s services for the 2027 season.\u00a0 The Mets have overhauled both Mendoza\u2019s coaching staff and a good chunk of the roster in the wake of the slow-motion collapse that left the team outside the playoff picture in 2025, so far more is expected than just an 83-79 record this year.\u00a0 The club option probably means that the Mets will wait until after the season (if at all) to discuss an extension, and given the Mets\u2019 high payroll and expectations, even a slow start might put Mendoza\u2019s status in jeopardy.<\/p>\n Orioles: Mike Elias\u2019 contract terms were never publicized when he was hired to lead Baltimore\u2019s front office in November 2018, though he did receive a title change<\/a> from general manager to president of baseball operations last offseason.\u00a0 Elias\u2019 specific contract status remains unspecified, and it is possible he could be facing more heat if the O\u2019s have another subpar season.\u00a0 Consecutive playoff appearances were followed by the thud of a 75-87 record in 2025, though ownership appears to have given Elias some support in the form of bigger budget, as the Orioles\u2019 busy offseason has been highlighted by the blockbuster Pete Alonso signing.<\/p>\n Padres: Reports in early November suggested<\/a> that A.J. Preller was close to signing a new extension to remain as San Diego\u2019s PBO, though close to three months later, there hasn\u2019t been any word of a deal between the two sides.\u00a0 It could be that a contract was signed but simply not publicly announced, or perhaps Preller and the team agreed to table the negotiations until after most of the Padres\u2019 offseason business was complete.\u00a0 Considering all the reports of discord within the Padres\u2019 ownership situation and some possible tension<\/a> between Preller and team CEO Erik Greupner, a contract extension probably shouldn\u2019t be considered a sure thing until a deal is actually done, though things still seem to be leaning in the direction of Preller getting re-upped.\u00a0 For all of the off-the-field drama that has frequently defined Preller\u2019s long tenure in San Diego, the Padres are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in the last six seasons.<\/p>\n Reds: As Cincinnati is coming off its first playoff berth since 2020, president of baseball operations Nick Krall looks to have a decent amount of job security, and might be in line for an extension depending on his current contract status.\u00a0 Krall has been in charge of the Reds\u2019 front office for the last five seasons, and he received an extension of an unspecified length when he was promoted to the president of baseball operations title following the 2023 campaign.<\/p>\n Tigers: Scott Harris has now finished three full seasons as Detroit\u2019s PBO, so if a four-year contract might be considered the usual minimum for a first-time president of baseball ops, 2026 might be Harris\u2019 final year under contract.\u00a0 It\u2019s all speculative, of course, since Harris\u2019 terms weren\u2019t made public, and it might also be a moot point since Harris could be an extension candidate, if anything.\u00a0 The Tigers have made the second round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, though the team\u2019s late-season collapse in 2025 and the uncertainty over Tarik Skubal\u2019s future remain areas of concern.<\/p>\n