Last week was not a particularly good time to be a manager of a Major League Baseball team that failed to make the playoffs. Upon the regular season's conclusion, eight teams announced they were looking for new leadership on the field heading into 2026.
That's more than a quarter of all MLB managerial jobs and half of the teams that did not reach the postseason. More positions could become open as playoff teams are eliminated in the weeks ahead.
With a plethora of openings, Rotowire – as part of our MLB betting insight – did what everybody is doing today. We asked artificial intelligence engines to give us the person each team is most likely to pick as its next manager.
We did this before the Texas Rangers signed Skip Schumaker to a four-year deal. That was the top pick for AI, which gave the former Miami Marlins manager a 45% of landing the job.
Atlanta Braves
The Pick: Walt Weiss (20%)
AI's initial favorite was Schumaker (30%), but he's off the list now thanks to Texas. That means Weiss, a former Rockies manager who has served as the Braves bench coach since 2017, is the next in line. Weiss also ended his 13-year playing career with the Braves.
Braves' Plan B: Atlanta could look to another former Brave with managerial experience, David Ross. Ross, who managed the Chicago Cubs from 2020-2023, was a backup catcher for four years with the club. The Georgia native recently told the Associated Press that he wants to get back in the dugout and that managing the Braves "would be amazing," though he refused to speculate if the team would consider him.
Baltimore Orioles
The Pick: Tony Mansolino (35%)
Mansolino was the interim skipper after the team dismissed Brandon Hyde in May. Baltimore was one of the biggest disappointments in 2025 as many analysts and backers at MLB betting sites expected the O's to be a playoff contender. The team played better under Mansolino, but there's no guarantee he'll return because Baltimore's future is at a crossroads this offseason.
In the hole: An external hire from a team with a proven development record, such as the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays, has a 30% chance. A possibility from that group is Rays bench coach Rodney Linares.
Colorado Rockies
The Pick: Warren Schaeffer (45%)
The Rockies' former third base coach became the interim manager in May after the team fired Bud Black, who was at the helm for nine seasons in Denver. Colorado won a league-low 43 games this past season, and the team's immediate future is bleak. That could keep some candidates from becoming interested in the job.
Rocky road: If Schaeffer is not retained, then the search could become wide open since it might not be appealing to many. AI gave Hensley Meulens a 15% chance of being considered. The Rockies, though, fired him as their batting coach in April. Meulens has managerial experience at the international level, but it would seem like a stretch for the Rockies to go back to someone they let go from a lesser position just six months ago.
Los Angeles Angels
The Pick: Albert Pujols (40% chance)
AI tabbed the surefire Hall of Famer as its leading choice to replace Ron Washington, who took leave from the team in midseason because of health issues. Reports from The Athletic and MLB.com indicated that Pujols, a three-time National League Most Valuable Player, is likely to get an interview for the job and is owner Arte Moreno's favorite candidate.
If not Pujols? AI gives Torii Hunter, another former Angels slugger who currently holds a front office job with the team, a 20% chance of being hired. Former MLB pitcher Bud Black, who managed the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies, has a 15% chance.
Minnesota Twins
The Pick: James Rowson (30%)
Rowson, currently the New York Yankees hitting coach, held the same position with the Twins from 2017 to 2019. In his last year in Minnesota, the Twins belted 307 homers – the most by any team in one season.
Waiting in the wings: AI gives the Twins a 20% chance of hiring an internal candidate. That would open the door for someone like bench coach Jayce Tingler, who managed the Padres for two seasons. An outside pick is also a 20% chance and could open the door for someone like Hunter, who ranks one of the Twins' best players ever.
San Francisco Giants
The Pick: Bruce Bochy (25%)
This is one AI missed. Reports have since surfaced that team President Buster Posey has already told the former Giants skipper, who led the team to three World Series titles when he led the team by the bay from 2007-2019, he doesn't see his former boss getting the job.
On deck: The next two names for the Giants, according to AI, are current Giants first base coach Mark Hallberg (20%) and former Giants catching coach Craig Albernaz (15%). Hallberg has been a coach with San Fran since 2020. Albernaz was the team's catching coach and bullpen catcher from 2020 to 2023. He left to become the Cleveland Guardians bench coach the following season, and he was the associate manager for the AL Central champs this past season.
Washington Nationals
The Pick: Miguel Cairo (35%)
Cairo is a well-respected coach and longtime player who took over as the Nats' interim leader after Davey Martinez was let go in July, Cairo, who became Washington's bench coach in 2024, seems to have the inside track – though Paul Tobani, the team's new baseball operations chief, could opt to go another route.
National search: If Washington looks elsewhere, one possibility will be Matt LeCroy, who manages the Nats' Triple-A club in Rochester, New York. AI gives the former major league player a 20% chance at getting the job, noting his experience in the team's farm system could be useful given the number of young prospects on the roster.
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