No matter what outsiders think of the urgency, Major League Baseball teams usually wait longer than the third week of April before they start firing managers.
Although, Phil Garner and Cal Ripken Sr. would like a word. The Detroit Tigers fired Garner (and general manager Randy Smith) after an 0-6 start in 2002. The Baltimore Orioles fired Cal Ripken’s dad after starting 0-6 in 1988. Cal Sr. got a twisted bit of satisfaction when the ’88 Orioles infamously continued losing until they were 0-21.
Multiple teams with high expectations have gotten off to slow starts this season. If a front office believes the manager is in over their head, they will remove one head for another.
Here are four MLB managers who could be feeling hot under the collar soon, if they’re not already.
Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
Mendoza’s Mets won 89 games and reached the NLCS in 2024 before the Dodgers took them out, but after adding Juan Soto in free agency they finished 83-79 and missed the playoffs in ’25. Currently, they’re 7-16 after losing their 12th straight game, blowing a three-run lead against the Twins on Tuesday night.
How much of it is actually Mendoza’s fault? Criticisms of Mendoza had been vague — at least until he decided to pitch to Nico Hoerner of the Cubs on Sunday when the Mets seemed to have better options. Odds there favored the Cubs no matter what, but the manager isn’t supposed to make things worse.
The Mets likely will play better, especially if the offense comes together as projected, but they’re going to expend a ton of energy just to get back to .500.
Coaches Kai Correa and Andy Green wait in the wings. Correa is a top managing prospect and Green has experience with the Padres.
Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
Philly won the NL Pennant in 2022 after firing manager Joe Girardi in June and replacing him with Thomson. They also won at least 90 games in each of the next three seasons, including 96 a season ago when they fell to the Dodgers in the NLDS.
The core of those winning teams remains, but all fans see is a group of underachievers whose seasons ended in disappointment, with Thomson unable to get Dave Dombrowski’s roster across the finish line. The Phillies are 8-15, having lost eight straight.
Don Mattingly, a former MLB manager, is on Thomson’s staff.
Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals
Quatraro led them to the playoffs two seasons ago, so his success is recent. His perceived shortcomings are like those of Thomson — he’s not fiery enough, and sometimes the players appear unmotivated. But that’s what it looks like when you don’t score runs. They needed a walk-off wild pitch to snap an eight-game losing streak Tuesday night, which also was their first one-run victory in six attempts. Someone in the clubhouse needs to light a fire.
Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
Mar 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (23) talks with catcher Patrick Bailey (center right) during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Vitello just got here from college, and sometimes it really seems like it by the way he talks and behaves. After beating the Dodgers on Tuesday night, the Giants are 10-13, which isn’t terrible. Just based on talent, it looks like they’ll be closer to the bottom of the NL West than the top, but that’s not on the manager.
Most figured there would be an adjustment period for Buster Posey’s out-of-the-box hire, but if Vitello still looks overwhelmed in the coming weeks, why torture everyone?
Joe Espada, Houston Astros
They’ve been in decline every season, a little bit, ever since winning the World Series in 2022: ALCS in ’23 (Dusty Baker’s last season), Wild Card under Espada in ’24 after a slow start, second place and out of the playoffs in ’25. So far this season, they’re 9-16 amid a ton of injuries that are not Espada’s fault. But when organizations get desperate, they play the one card they have left.
