Understandably, MLB managers are a bit nervous this time of year.
Baseball is a business. Less than one day after the 2025 regular season is in the books, a handful of managers have already learned their fate for 2026.
On Monday, so far the scoreboard reads: Three skippers are out, one rookie manager has had his tenure extended, and one bench boss has been informed that his position remains the “status quo” for 2026.
Bruce Bochy, upon completing the final year of a three-year deal signed with the Texas Rangers in October 2022, is no longer employed by the team. The Rangers released a statement on Monday saying Bochy wouldn’t be returning next season. Three and done. In 2023, Bochy’s first with Texas, the franchise celebrated winning its first-ever World Series championship. First-ever dates back to 1972. Bochy’s dismissal is a reminder of how cold the business of professional sports can be.
With 2,250 victories in 28 years as an MLB manager, Bochy ranks as the sixth winningest all-time. If the future Hall of Famer is interested in directing another club next season, there shouldn’t be any shortage of takers.
The axe also fell on Bob Melvin, the San Francisco Giants’ manager, after two years on the job and despite his being under contract for 2026. Like Bochy, Melvin completed 2025 at 81–81, finishing 12 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the NL West. Giants’ president of baseball operations’ Buster Posey made the call for change official one day before the MLB’s Wild Card Series.
Melvin is a seasoned skipper—23 years in the big leagues is quite an accomplishment. But a 161–163 record over two years didn’t do him any favors to stay the course in San Francisco. Regardless of what’s on the resume or how well liked or respected a manager is, if the club doesn’t produce, it’s almost always his head that rolls. Melvin probably had an idea that his job was on shaky ground during the second part of the 2025 season—the Giants were sellers at the July trade deadline.
In Minnesota, Rocco Baldelli was shown the door by the Twins after leading the club for the previous seven seasons. The Twins will immediately begin their search for their next manager.
Baldelli, 44, led the Twins to three American League Central titles during his tenure. In 2019, Minnesota posted 101 wins and Baldelli was named AL Manager of the Year. In the statement released by the Twins, the words “the right time for change” appear. Respectful but business-like. Amassing 527 wins wasn’t enough to save Baldelli’s locker for the next season. The Twins are also reviewing if there are coaching staff changes on the horizon.
Lost in Baldelli and other managers getting let go are coaches left in limbo. A new skipper will want his own friends/instructors in his corner. So many people can be affected by the actions taken on the manager.
The Chicago White Sox are retaining first-year manager Will Venable for 2026. However, after a third-straight 100-plus loss season, Venable’s coaching staff is taking a hit. Four coaches have been fired, and another, if he chooses to accept an assignment elsewhere in the White Sox organization, won’t be showing up for work at Rate Field on Chicago’s South Side in 2026.
The New York Mets, who have MLB’s highest team payroll north of $323 million, missed the 2025 postseason. Mets’ owner Steve Cohen has publicly apologized for his club’s monumental collapse, as New York finished at 83–79. New York won 38 of their final 93 games. Second-year skipper Carlos Mendoza’s job is safe for now. A slow start next season, and Mendoza, 45, could be among the first on the 2026 managerial merry-go-round.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that rookie manager Don Kelly will return in 2026. Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherington made the announcement at PNC Park on Monday. Kelly took over the club in May when Derek Shelton was fired. Under Kelly’s leadership, the Pirates performed at a 59–65 clip. A Pittsburgh native, Kelly remains popular with the fan base, and with alumni. Former Pirate John Wehner, in an optimistic voice, weighed in on Kelly being retained for 2026.
“Donnie is the right man for the job,” Wehner told The Epoch Times on Monday. He brings positive energy to the ballclub. Donnie is the same guy every day, with a smile on his face—win, lose, or draw.”
Monday’s managerial changes could be just the beginning of more MLB “vacancy” signs being hung by clubs as the offseason progresses.
