It’s been a disastrous season for the Atlanta Braves that has taken a toll on 69-year-old manager Brian Snitker. The Braves have dealt with a litany of injuries to top stars — including Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Chris Sale and Spencer Strider — and lost free-agent signing Jurickson Profar for 80 games earlier in the season due to a PED suspension. Because of that, the Braves are 65-80 and mired in fourth place in the NL East. It’s their worst season since 2017 when they went 72-90, the last time they missed the playoffs.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Snitker’s confidantes believe this will be his final season on Atlanta’s bench and that he will move into the team’s front office.
“Snitker will turn 70 next month, and, by all accounts, it’s his call as to whether he will return as Atlanta’s skipper next season. While he told ESPN, prior to this past ‘Sunday Night Baseball,’ that he hasn’t made a decision on that yet, he mentioned spending time with his grandkids and places where he’d like to travel,” writes Olney.
Despite the lackluster year, if Snitker does step down, Atlanta’s managerial job will be highly coveted in the offseason. They still have a core of Acuna, Riley, Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Sale, Strider, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach that could get them back on the postseason path for 2026.
Leading Candidates to Replace Snitker
ESPN MLB reporter Buster Olney named the top four contenders who could be sitting on Atlanta’s bench next season.
“Some of the names that rival execs speculated could step into the skipper role include: Walt Weiss, currently the Braves’ bench coach; former Cubs manager David Ross and MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, who both have history with the organization; and Skip Schumaker, the 2022 NL Manager of the Year who is currently working in the Rangers’ front office,” reports Olney.
Breaking down those candidates: Weiss managed the Colorado Rockies from 2013-2016, finishing with a 283-365 record and never having a winning season; Ross was 262-284 managing the Cubs from 2020-2023; Schumaker was 146-178 in his two seasons with the Miami Marlins from 2023-2024; and DeRosa doesn’t have any MLB managerial experience but has managed Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and will do so again in 2026.
Snitker has had an incredibly successful tenure as Braves manager, going 800-662 over 10 seasons. He led the Braves to the World Series championship in 2021 and six straight NL East crowns from 2018-2023.
For the Braves, they will look to upgrade their rotation and bullpen — which rank 22nd (4.52) and 21st (4.35) in ERA, respectively — in the offseason.
