{"id":559699,"date":"2026-02-07T15:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T15:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/559699\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T15:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T15:16:17","slug":"ranking-all-30-managers-in-the-major-leagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/559699\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking all 30 managers in the major leagues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Terry Francona (Reds): Roberts has three World Series rings<\/a>. Only six managers in history have more and it\u2019s not outlandish to think he will add to his collection. Yes, the Dodgers flex their financial muscles like no other team. But managing all those high-priced players is not simple.<\/p>\n

Francona learned that while winning two titles with the Red Sox. His 2,033 victories are 12th all-time. He needs only eight more to pass Walter Alston. Francona joined the Reds last season<\/a> and led them to 83 wins and a playoff berth. Outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it was the franchise\u2019s first postseason appearance since 2013.<\/p>\n

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\"AfterAfter taking a year off, Terry Francona (second from left) returned to manage the Reds.Matthew J. Lee\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

Right people in the right places (3-8)<\/p>\n

Kevin Cash (Rays), Alex Cora (Red Sox), A.J. Hinch (Tigers), Pat Murphy (Brewers), Stephen Vogt (Guardians), Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks): These are good fits all around. Cash\u2019s 1,680 games with the Rays are the most for any active manager with one team. Cora\u2019s 1,134 games are third in Red Sox history.<\/p>\n

Cora, now in his eighth season, has dealt with a revolving-door roster and different front-office philosophies over his tenure. But he remains a top in-game strategist and handles what he calls the \u201cnoise\u201d in Boston adeptly.<\/p>\n

The Tigers were 30 games under .500 in 2022 and have won 173 games the last two seasons under Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris.<\/p>\n

Murphy has to be considered one of the best managers in the game after guiding the Brewers to 190 wins the last two seasons. The same is true for Vogt, who is 180-143 with the Guardians despite modest payrolls.<\/p>\n

Lovullo has managed the Diamondbacks since 2017. Only Roberts and Cash have had their jobs longer.<\/p>\n

Pressure is on (9-12)<\/p>\n

Aaron Boone (Yankees), Craig Counsell (Cubs), Carlos Mendoza (Mets), Rob Thomson (Phillies). <\/p>\n

Boone handles the toughest job in baseball with incredible composure. But he has one pennant in eight seasons. <\/p>\n

Counsell landed a record deal \u2014 $40 million over five years \u2014 to leave the Brewers for the Cubs after the 2023 season. He has since finished second to his former team both seasons. The Brewers eliminated the Cubs in the Division Series last year.<\/p>\n

Mendoza and Thomson manage teams with high payrolls and demanding fans. The Phillies went to the World Series in 2022 but were eliminated by the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS then lost Division Series the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

The Mets pushed the Dodgers to six games in the 2024 NLCS but missed the postseason last season, losing 35 of their final 53 games.<\/p>\n

Now what? (13-15)<\/p>\n

Joe Espada (Astros), John Schneider (Blue Jays), Dan Wilson (Mariners).<\/p>\n

Espada is 27 games over .500 in two seasons but has yet to win a postseason game. The Astros lost ace Framber Valdez to free agency<\/a> and hope to replace him with Tatsuya Imai, who signed for three years and $54 million.<\/p>\n

Schneider was 209-189 before the Blue Jays won 94 games last season and lost a thrilling seven-game World Series against the Dodgers. They have since signed Dylan Cease, third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and a reliable setup man in Tyler Rogers.<\/p>\n

Much will be expected of Schneider, who lost bench coach Don Mattingly to the Phillies.<\/p>\n

Wilson was 90-72 in his first full season as manager and had a 3-2 lead on the Jays in the ALCS before dropping the final two games. The Mariners have since added Josh Naylor, Brendan Donovan<\/a>, and Rob Refsnyder<\/a>. Seattle has not made the postseason two years in a row since 2000-01.<\/p>\n

Building up (16-21)<\/p>\n

Mark Kotsay (Athletics), Oli Marmol (Cardinals), Clayton McCullough (Marlins), Matt Quatraro (Royals), Will Venable (White Sox).<\/p>\n

None of these teams are necessarily lined up to contend, although the Royals could hang around the wild-card race. Marmol is entering his fifth season and has a dismantled roster and a new boss in Chaim Bloom<\/a>. That\u2019s not an easy spot to be in entering the season.<\/p>\n

The White Sox are trying, having added Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami along with reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Sean Newcomb, who pitched very well for the Athletics after the Red Sox let him go, signed for $4.5 million and hopes to make the rotation.<\/p>\n

The Marlins aren\u2019t where they hope to be but were 55-43 in their final 98 games last season.<\/p>\n

Second chances (22-25)<\/p>\n

Skip Schumaker (Rangers), Don Kelly (Pirates) Warren Schaeffer (Rockies), Derek Shelton (Twins), Walt Weiss (Braves).<\/p>\n

Schumaker was 84-78 with Miami in 2023 then left the team after losing 100 games in 2024 rather than take part in a rebuilding process. The Rangers offer him a chance to compete in the AL West.<\/p>\n

Kelly was retained by the Pirates after he was 59-65 as the interim manager. The Pirates added Ryan O\u2019Hearn and Brandon Lowe in the offseason. With their pitching they could contend for a wild-card berth.<\/p>\n

Schaeffer was 36-86 as interim manager last season but was kept on by new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.<\/p>\n

Shelton was fired by the Pirates after only 38 games last season. He was hired by Twins president of baseball operations in October. Falvey then stepped down last month. That\u2019s not a great start.<\/p>\n

Weiss was 283-365 with the Rockies from 2013-16. He was promoted by the Braves after eight seasons as Brian Snitker\u2019s bench coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe circumstances couldn\u2019t be more different from the first time I did this,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cIn Colorado, when I got hired, I\u2019d been out of the game for four years. I was coaching high school football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the interview just to experience it and I end up getting the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rookies (26-30)<\/p>\n

Craig Albernaz (Orioles), Blake Butera (Nationals), Craig Stammen (Padres), Kurt Suzuki (Angels), Tony Vitello (Giants).<\/p>\n

Albernaz, who grew up in Somerset<\/a>, was Vogt\u2019s bench coach in Cleveland. \u201cThe best two years I had in baseball,\u201d he said. Now he\u2019s charged with reenergizing a team that has sharply declined since winning 101 games in 2023.<\/p>\n

The Nationals are rebuilding with a Boston tinge. Butera played at Boston College<\/a> and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was an assistant GM of the Red Sox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stammen pitched 13 seasons in the majors and was a surprising choice as manager after two years as an assistant to the major league staff and front office with the Padres.<\/p>\n

Suzuki was a catcher in the majors from 2007-22 with five teams. He finished his career with the Angels then was a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian before being named manager.<\/p>\n

Suzuki has only a one-year contract and is the organization\u2019s sixth manager since Mike Scioscia retired after the 2018 season.<\/p>\n

Vitello, 47, is the most interesting of the bunch<\/a>. He never played or coached at the professional level before leaving powerhouse University of Tennessee program to manage the Giants.<\/p>\n

The Giants have made the playoffs once in the last nine seasons. If this doesn\u2019t work, president of baseball operations Buster Posey will have a lot of explaining to do.<\/p>\n

\"RedRed Sox shortstop Trevor Story signed on March 22, 2023 and hit 25 home runs last season.Danielle Parhizkaran\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

WAITING GAME<\/p>\n

Red Sox have been here before<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unusual for the Red Sox to be incomplete going into spring training.<\/p>\n

J.D. Martinez did not agree to a contract until Feb. 26 in 2018<\/a>. Trevor Story waited until March 23 in 2022<\/a> and Alex Bregman arrived on Feb. 15 last season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But all three of those players were free agents who were content to work out on their own while waiting for a better deal. This time the Sox need a righthanded hitter with at least some power who can play second or third base. No remaining free agents fill that need.<\/p>\n

The closer it gets to spring training, the more difficult it will become to make a trade. But given all the mismatched pieces, it feels like some kind of roster-shifting trade is required.<\/p>\n

The Sox have too many outfielders<\/a>, not enough infielders, and still not enough righthanded hitters.<\/p>\n

A few other observations on the Red Sox:<\/p>\n

\u25aa Sports Info Solutions credited Ceddanne Rafaela with 27 \u201cgood fielding plays\u201d in center field last season. He also led center fielders in runs saved.<\/p>\n

Rafaela played 165 innings at second base last season. The Sox should make it a priority to keep him in center field this season and get the most out of his glove.<\/p>\n

\u25aa So the Sox made a six-player deal<\/a> to get Jordan Hicks off the roster and shave $8 million off their 2026 luxury tax payroll. That made sense.<\/p>\n

Then they turned around a few days later and spent $6 million of that to sign Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/a>? That doesn\u2019t seem to make a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

But Kiner-Falefa was worth 1.6 bWAR last season and Hicks negative-1.8. It\u2019s unlikely Kiner-Falefa will add much to the offense but at least he\u2019s a reliable glove.<\/p>\n

Consider him an insurance policy. Marcelo Mayer has played four full seasons professionally and has yet to play more than 91 games<\/a>. Story appeared in 157 games last season, six more than his three previous seasons combined.<\/p>\n

The Sox needed shortstop depth beyond David Hamilton.<\/p>\n

\u25aa Three Sox minor leaguers \u2014 righthander Jack Anderson (Great Britain), righthander Tayron Guerrero (Colombia), and lefthander Eduardo Rivera (Puerto Rico) \u2014 were chosen for the World Baseball Classic.<\/p>\n

Anderson is a 26-year-old reliever who the Sox picked up in the minor league phase of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft from the Tigers. He had a 4.57 ERA last season with Portland and Worcester.<\/p>\n

Guerrero is a 35-year-old who has been with five major league organizations and played in Japan. He has 113 games of major league experience, the last in 2019. He was signed in January to a minor league deal that included an invitation to spring training.<\/p>\n

Rivera, 22, is a 6-foot-7-inch, 275-pound swingman who had a 2.48 ERA in 20 games for Greenville and Portland last season. He struck out 108 in 87 innings but also walked 46. He signed as a minor league free agent in 2024.<\/p>\n

Lefthanders hit .137 against Rivera last season.<\/p>\n

\"FramberFramber Valdez will be wearing a new shade of orange after signing with the Detroit Tigers.Scott Marshall\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

ETC.<\/p>\n

Like it or not, Tigers go all-in<\/p>\n

The Tigers will have a luxury tax payroll of close to $233 million this season, a team record, after losing their arbitration case against Tarik Skubal. He landed a salary of $32 million.<\/a> That was a record in an arbitration hearing, blowing away the old mark of $19.9 million for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2024.<\/p>\n

The sides could not agree to a contract for this season and went to arbitration. The Tigers offered $19 million, $750,000 less than the record David Price set in 2015 for a pitcher in arbitration.<\/p>\n

Skubal countered at $32 million given his back-to-back Cy Young Awards. The panel understandably sided with him.<\/p>\n

Detroit also signed free agent Framber Valdez for three years and $115 million with two opt-outs.<\/p>\n

Obviously, the Tigers should be the top contenders in the AL Central, if not prohibitive favorites. But what if their season goes off the rails? Skubal and\/or Valdez would be huge trade chips for president of baseball operations Scott Harris.<\/p>\n

Skubal will be a free agent after the season and agent Scott Boras believes his clients should find their value on the market instead of agreeing to an extension.<\/p>\n

Given the resources of the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, the Tigers would almost have no choice but to trade Skubal<\/a> if they fall out of contention.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to be a very interesting season in Detroit.<\/p>\n

That Rafael Devers<\/a> took a pass on playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic was no surprise. Devers was with the DR in 2023 and was 2 for 16 without an RBI in the tournament as its designated hitter. He hoped to play at least a few games at third base but manager Rodney Linares stayed with Manny Machado. Devers said when he returned to the Red Sox that he would never play in the WBC again. Apparently, he wasn\u2019t kidding \u2026 As players flood into camps, Alex Verdugo remains a free agent. The 29-year-old outfielder has not played since being released by the Braves on July 5 last season. Verdugo has a .631 OPS in his last 205 games \u2026 The Nationals were covered by only three outlets on a regular basis last season: the Washington Post, MLB.com, and MASNSports.com. The Post folded its sports department on Wednesday<\/a> and MASN stopped Nationals coverage now that it doesn\u2019t broadcast the team\u2019s games. That leaves one beat writer. It\u2019s not a good thing for the game when fans will have to hunt around to find coverage of a team \u2026 The youngest player on a WBC roster is 17-year-old Joseph Contreras of Brazil. He\u2019s a Georgia high school student who is committed to Vanderbilt and the son of former major league pitcher Jose Contreras. Back in 2002, the Red Sox and Yankees fought for Contreras after he fled Cuba. The pitcher took up residence in Nicaragua and the bidding began. Theo Epstein booked every room at the hotel where the talks were held, trying to block the Yankees. But the Yankees signed Contreras for what at the time was a whopping four-year, $32 million deal. It prompted Red Sox president Larry Lucchino to say, \u201cThe evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America.\u201d That\u2019s where the nickname came from \u2026 Mark McGwire rejoined the Athletics as a special assistant in player development. He was last with the team in 1997 during his playing career \u2026 In all, 350 of the 425 ballots cast in the Hall of Fame election were made public<\/a>, 82.3 percent. That\u2019s up from 81.4 percent in 2025 and 79.4 percent in 2024. Those percentages should continue to rise as the electorate gets younger. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s certainly better than the anonymous voting for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame \u2026 Happy birthday to Carney Lansford, who is 69. The third baseman hit .317 with an .814 OPS for the Red Sox from 1981-82 before he was traded to the Athletics in a six-player deal. The Sox, who wanted to clear a spot for Wade Boggs, received power-hitting center fielder Tony Armas in the deal. Lansford became a mainstay at third base for the Athletics for 10 seasons. He played for three pennant winners and helped sweep the Sox in the \u201988 and \u201990 Division Series. Lansford retired after the 1992 season and coached in the majors from 1994-2012.<\/p>\n

Jim Gray joins Ben Volin to talk about his new museum venture with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft\u2019s surprise snub from the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social\u202c.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Terry Francona (Reds): Roberts has three World Series rings. Only six managers in history have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,73826,18281,4],"class_list":["post-559699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-baseball","tag-chase-burns-26-starting-pitcher-for-the-cincinnati-reds","tag-garrett-crochet-35-starting-pitcher-for-the-boston-red-sox","tag-mlb"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116030014008785362","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}