Matt Johnson
The Boston Red Sox made the first managerial change of the 2026 Major League Baseball season over the weekend, firing skipper Alex Cora and his top assistants. With one change already made and several clubs struggling, it’s worh trying to determine who could be next
As the April portion of the MLB schedule nears its conclusion, let’s dive into our first MLB hot seat rankings.
1. Joe Espada, Houston Astros
Who will be the next manager fired? Our bet is on Houston Astros skipper Joe Espada. Astros general manager Dana Brown is in a contract year, and while he’s publicly backed Espada for now, pressure is mounting in Houston. Team owner Jim Crane wants results after investing more than $230 million into the Astros roster this season, going well above the luxury tax. A trade isn’t coming, and the Astros lineup—fourth-most runs scored (151) with third-best OBP (.345) and SLG (.438)—has already done all it can just to try and keep the team going. If the Astros drop some of their upcoming sets against the Red Sox, Dodgers and Reds, perhaps Espada isn’t the team’s skipper when they return home for the May 11 series against the Seattle Mariners.
2. Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
Is it Carlos Mendoza’s fault that the New York Mets entered play on Monday 10 games below .500? No, because in hindsight, the Mets roster was deeply flawed from the beginning, and missing the postseason for the second consecutive season is a much bigger indictment on the front office. However, someone needs to be the proverbial head on the chopping block both for the team underperforming and there seemingly being zero real chemistry in the Mets clubhouse. We believe owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns will be a little patient with Mendoza, given the team’s injuries. However, if things aren’t turned around by the middle of May and the Mets lose the Subway Series at Citi Field, then Mendoza will be gone.
Related: New York Mets Managerial Candidates to Replace Carlos Mendoza
3. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
Minutes after Alex Cora was fired, there was already buzz about him replacing Rob Thomson. While the Philadelphia Phillies skipper is squarely on the hot seat, we’re very skeptical an outside hire would be made, and that’s even if a change at the helm is being considered. Philadelphia is off to a dreadful start right now, but they are coming off four consecutive seasons with 90-plus wins. Since Thomson took over as interim manager in 2022, the Phillies have the third-best record (355-270) in all of baseball. Change is certainly possible if things aren’t turned around by the summer, but we think Thomson is a safe bet to make it through May.
4. Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are on pace for their second season with a sub-.400 winning percentage under Matt Quatraro in four years. Through 514 career games as skipper, the team has a .457 winning percentage and has the sixth-most losses (279) in baseball. Ownership already spent money to bring in the fences this offseason to see if it would turn things around, and now they are eyeing a $3 billion stadium in Kansas City. The results on the diamond simply aren’t good enough. Right now, it’s really only a question of whether or not the Royals wait until the offseason to part ways with Quatraro.
Related: Reporter Predicts Which Royals Player Is Traded This Summer
5. Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants took a massive gamble by becoming the first team in the Modern Era to bring a college baseball coach directly over to serve as skipper in the majors. Early on, Tony Vitello has demonstrated that he might not have the right personality for the job. Even putting his multiple eyebrow-raising admissions and quotes to reporters off to the side, the Giants got off to an ugly 6-12 start.
With that said, Vitello’s club did deliver series victories at home over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins. It would also be quite the blemish on the resume of president of baseball operations Buster Posey if he fired a manager just months after bringing him in. Ultimately, our prediction is that Vitello sticks around through the end of the season and then returns to the Tennessee Volunteers as their program comes off an underwhelming 2026 campaign.
