The Boston Red Sox made the first managerial change of the 2026 Major League Baseball season over the weekend, firing captain Alex Cora and his top assistants. Since a change has already taken place and many clubs are struggling, trying to determine who could be next
As the April portion of the MLB schedule draws to a close, let's take a look at our first MLB hot seat rankings.
1. Joe Espada, Houston Astros
Who will be the next manager to be fired? Our bet is on Houston Astros captain Joe Espada. Astros general manager Dana Brown is in a contract year, and while he has yet to publicly support Espada, the pressure is mounting in Houston. Team owner Jim Crane wants results after investing more than $230 million into the Astros' roster this season, well above the luxury tax. No trade is coming, and the Astros lineup – the fourth-most runs scored (151) with the third-best OBP (.345) and SLG (.438) – has already done everything it can to try to propel the team forward. If the Astros miss some of their upcoming sets against the Red Sox, Dodgers and Reds, Espada probably won't be the team captain when they return home for a May 11 series against the Seattle Mariners.
2. Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
Is it Carlos Mendoza's fault the New York Mets are 10 games below .500 on Monday? No, because in retrospect, the Mets roster was deeply flawed from the beginning, and missing the postseason for the second consecutive season is a huge indictment of the front office. However, both the team's poor performance and there being zero real chemistry in the Mets clubhouse require someone to be the proverbial head on the chopping block. We believe owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns will have some patience with Mendoza given the team's injuries. However, if things did not change by mid-May and the Mets lost the Subway Series at Citi Field, Mendoza would be gone.
RELATED: New York Mets managerial candidate to replace Carlos Mendoza
3. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
Just minutes after Alex Cora was fired, there was talk that he would be replacing Rob Thomson. While the Philadelphia Phillies captain is absolutely on the hot seat, we highly doubt that an outsider will be hired, and that's even if a change at the top is being contemplated. Philadelphia is off to a rough start right now, but they are coming off four consecutive seasons with over 90 wins. Since Thompson took over as interim manager in 2022, the Phillies have the third-best record in baseball (355–270). A change is certainly possible if things don't change by the summer, but we think it's a safe bet for Thomson to be there by May.
4. Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are heading into their second season with a sub-.400 winning percentage under Matt Cutraro in four years. Through 514 career games as captain, the team has a winning percentage of .457 and the sixth-most losses (279) in baseball. Ownership has already spent money this off-season to put up fences to see if that will change things, and now they have their eye on a $3 billion stadium in Kansas City. The results on diamond are not good at all. Right now, it's really just a question of whether or not the Royals will wait until the offseason to part ways with Cuartro.
RELATED: Reporter predicts which player the Royals will trade this summer
5. Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants took a huge gamble by becoming the first team in the modern era to bring a college baseball coach straight to the majors as captain. Early on, Tony Vitello demonstrated that he may not have the right personality for the job. Even setting aside his many eyebrow-raising admissions and quotes to reporters, the Giants got off to a poor 6–12 start.
As noted, Vitello's club picked up series wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins at home. It would also be a pretty big blemish on President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey's resume if he fired a manager just a few months after bringing him on board. Ultimately, our prediction is that Vitello will remain until the end of the season and then return to the Tennessee Volunteers as their program heads into the 2026 campaign.
