Ranking MLB's eight managerial openings: Braves, Orioles offer upside, Rockies avoid being last on list

The Atlanta Braves announced on Wednesday morning that Brian Snitker, the club's manager since taking over on an interim basis during the 2016 season, will step into an advisory position. The Braves, then, will join a growing list of teams seeking a new skipper this winter. Heading into Wednesday, the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, and Texas Rangers had all already announced their intentions to hire a new manager before Opening Day 2026.

A few other clubs could still join those ranks, depending on what the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and Colorado Rockies decide to do with their interim skippers.

With so eight teams making changes in the dugout, it's only fair to wonder: which of these jobs is the most desirable? CBS Sports has attempted to answer that question below, ranking the managerial openings based on various factors, including the perceived likelihood of winning and the possibility of feeling some sense of job security.

Let's get to it.

1. Atlanta Braves

Whoever takes over in the Braves dugout will become the early favorite to win the NL's Manager of the Year Award. That piece of hardware tends to be given to the skipper whose team either most outperforms expectations or most improves from the previous season. (Oftentimes, that's one and the same.) Even without knowing what the Braves will do this winter, they're a strong rebound candidate. Why? In part because of the roster's talent level, and in part because they had the majors' third-worst record in one-run games. Put another way, if the Braves had won roughly half their one-run games (as opposed to fewer than 38%), they would be partaking in the playoffs.

2. Baltimore Orioles

Meanwhile, whoever takes over in Baltimore will become the early favorite to win the AL's Manager of the Year Award. The Orioles posted a winning record over their final 119 games, but they were unable to salvage the dreadful 15-28 start that precipitated Brandon Hyde's termination. Baltimore has a promising cast of young positional players, and it stands to reason that the Orioles are going to aggressively pursue some upgrades to the pitching staff. It's never easy to win in the AL East, but I have to imagine they're going to do better than this year's 75-87 mark.

3. Minnesota Twins

This may be too favorable of a ranking given the Twins' deadline sell-off and ownership's usual reluctance to spend money. There are two pluses to this gig that prop it up: No. 1, the Twins have often shown patience with their front offices and managers; and No. 2, the AL Central is almost always the easiest division to scale. Doesn't mean the Twins' gig will be particularly fun in the near run, but it does mean that you might get the requisite time to right the ship.

4. Texas Rangers

The Rangers sure look like a club transitioning from one phase to another. Already, executive Chris Young has declared the franchise to be entering a period of financial uncertainty, a situation that will necessitate they lean more on younger (read: cheaper) players. Where, precisely, that leaves them from a competitive perspective is to be seen. Keep in mind, the Rangers' World Series win in 2023 has obscured how they've finished .500 or worse in seven of the last eight full seasons. On the bright side, the Rangers' lowered standards might make for more job security. 

5. San Francisco Giants

The Giants are a perpetual .500 threat with great ambitions and an even greater sum of money invested in three particular players -- third baseman Matt Chapman, shortstop Willy Adames, and first baseman/designated hitter Rafael Devers -- who may not age well. In other words, this gig has a lot of downside attached to it. The key here is whether or not executive Buster Posey can find a way to add enough talent to win before the bottom falls out. Posey's first attempt fell short, but maybe he can get it right heading into his second full winter in charge of baseball operations. 

6. Washington Nationals

The Nationals are a tricky franchise to rank here. They should be on the ascent given they employ talented youngsters like James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore, and given that they've drafted in the top 12 in five consecutive drafts. But the Nationals actually won fewer games this season than in either of the past two, and it's to be seen what direction new top executive Paul Toboni takes the roster. Even if Toboni stands pat this winter, both Abrams and Gore are drawing closer to free agency by the day, suggesting another rebuild could be in sight. The Nationals have outgrown the phase that saw them change managers every two or three years, the way they did from 2005-18, but that alone doesn't necessarily make this an attractive position.

7. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies were the toughest team to place in this exercise. I think there's a real chance they notch their fourth consecutive 100-loss season in 2026. And yet, they're the most results-indifferent franchise in the industry. Bud Black, bless him, held Colorado's managerial post for parts of nine seasons despite a record that prorates to a 71-win pace. If the goal is to win titles, the Rockies deserve last; if the goal is to keep the checks rolling without stressing over the finer details -- say, where you finish in the standings -- then this is the best gig in sports.

8. Los Angeles Angels

In my estimation, the Angels offer the worst combination of any available gig. They don't have enough big-league talent to realistically compete for a playoff spot (they've won 72 or 73 games in three of the last four years); they don't have enough young talent to forecast them meaningfully improving through internal means; and they don't display much patience with their skippers. Since Mike Scioscia's departure after the 2018 campaign, the Angels have burned through four full-time skippers in seven seasons. That includes two managers who lasted one year. If you want any semblance of job security, earned or otherwise, you would do well to avoid this position.